The Promise
by drumbjo
Summary: AH - Sookie returns to Louisiana following the break-up of her marriage and starts work at Northman Inc. Yet there's a past to be told between Sookie and Eric Northman, CEO, and neither are too pleased to see the other.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, me again! I have to admit to struggling a little with Hero of the Night at the moment, so I've decided to start a new AH story while I try and find some inspiration. I will hopefully write both alongside each other._

_Hope you all like it!_

* * *

I sat in my car trying to compose myself as I stared at the large 'Northman Inc.' sign on the building in front of me. Of all the places to end up working, I was here. I took a deep breath and stepped up out of my car and walked with my head held high towards the reception of the building. I was greeted by an attractive but not particularly natural blonde with dark rimmed designer glasses and a suit that probably cost more than my clothes budget for a month.

"How can I help you?" she asked in a friendly tone with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"I'm starting here today. My name is Sookie Stackhouse, I'm here to see Mr Merlotte in the marketing department."

The fake blonde looked down at some papers in front of her, shuffled through them and then obviously found what she was looking for as she thrust a collection of papers in my general direction, not looking up from her desk to make sure I had them. Once I took them from her she looked up and falsely smiled at me.

"Yes, Miss Stackhouse," she stated as if she didn't believe me before. "Please take a seat and fill in the forms. I will notify Mr Merlotte that you are here."

I muttered a thanks to her as she pointed with her pen towards an uncomfortable looking sofa at the side of the entrance hall and I turned after matching her fake smile and went to sit down. I dug out a pen from my clutch bag and started filling in the forms. It was the usual questions – name, address, emergency contact, etc. That one I struggled with but resorted to putting my brother's name on the form.

Once I'd finished filling in the forms I returned my pen to my bag and saw my new boss walking towards me. He wasn't much taller than me and had shaggy light brown hair and kind chocolate brown eyes that made him look like an abandoned puppy dog. He somehow managed to look scruffy even though he was wearing a suit. I'd instantly liked him when he interviewed me for the junior position within the marketing department – not in a sexual way – but he just seemed to be a genuinely good guy.

"Miss Stackhouse, welcome to Northman Inc."

I tried to hide my distaste at the name and slapped on a fake smile. "Thank you, Mr Merlotte, it's good to be here. I'd like to thank you for this opportunity."

I was sucking up and I knew it, but it was best to start work on a good footing. I hoped that if I had some experience of working within this company it would look on my résumé and would help me get a job elsewhere. Though that, of course, would involve me sticking with the place for a few years minimum.

"Please, call me Sam. If you'll follow me I'll take you upstairs. Your paperwork is completed?" I nodded and he led me out of the reception past the fake blonde who was filing her fake nails and to the elevator. Our department was on the seventh floor of the huge building that dominated the Shreveport skyline.

He turned to me once we were inside the elevator and spoke in a hushed voice. "I know that this job is very much a step backwards for you with your experience and qualifications, but I will try and make things as easy for you as possible to fast-track you to a promotion." All I could do was smile graciously as we'd reached our stop and he led me out of the elevator.

I followed him to an empty desk that was in the communal area – only the management and more senior and skilled workers were given their own offices. "Well, this is you. My office is just there," he pointed to the nearest door, "and you will be working closest with me. At least to start with anyway."

I placed my bag down on the large desk that contained only a computer with large, flat screen monitor, keyboard, wireless mouse and phone. To the side slightly there were a few trays which seemed to hold blank forms.

"This is Arlene Fowler and Lafayette Reynolds, your co-workers. Guys, this is Sookie Stackhouse."

They both smiled their acknowledgement as I did the same to them. Arlene had dyed bright red hair and far too much make-up. She was probably about forty though dressed as if she was nineteen. She was staring intently at Sam as if he was a chocolate cake to be devoured and I instantly felt sorry for him as he was seriously out of his depth with a woman like her pursuing him. Lafayette had buzzed short hair and was wearing his sharp suit very well. He was wearing a little make-up, which surprised me, a long earring in his right ear and red nail polish.

"Allow me to show you around out department." Sam led me away from my new co-workers and showed me the essentials – the fire escape, the stationary cupboard, rest rooms, kitchen etc. Once we'd done with the tour he led me into his office and shut the door behind me, taking the paperwork from me, which he flicked through and placed down on his desk. "I'll drop this off at HR a bit later on."

For most of the rest of the day Sam went through the procedures I'd need to know including learning the computer systems. What didn't need saying was that my job wasn't a whole lot more than being a glorified gopher and tea maid. I was to basically do whatever the other marketing execs wanted with very little scope to put my own ideas forward.

With about an hour left before the end of my first day I was instructed towards my desk so that Arlene and Lafayette could fill me in on what else needed doing. I booted up my PC and familiarised myself with the system. After about half an hour Lafayette sashayed up behind me.

"Bitch, you look like you could do with a drink." His statement was quite correct.

I smiled at him. "You may well be right. I have a bottle of wine waiting for me in my fridge with a big sign saying drink me."

"I was thinking more something a little stronger was needed. Me and Arlene have a date with our best friend vodka most Friday nights, but we're willing to meet him a little earlier on this occasion."

I had a feeling he would not take no for an answer and it would at least be a good opportunity to get to know my new co-workers. "Sounds like a plan."

I was absently opening files and programmes on the screen as I spoke to him, and clicked the little internet explorer icon, trying my best not to associate it with my ex-husband. The programme opened on the intranet for Northman Inc. and I was greeted with the smiling faces of the exec team. Eric Northman being in the middle of seven and towering over them with an arrogant look on his face.

"Girl, don't even go there."

I turned to look at Lafayette who had obviously seen me looking at the picture. I made a mental note to change the home page. "I wasn't! I was just …"

"I'm sure you were just …., but trust me, that man is off limits for the likes of us mere mortals. Though what I wouldn't give for a piece of his ass. Mmmm hmmmm! You'll be lucky if you ever see him around. He's far too important to visit the serfs." That was going to be quite fine with me.

As soon as five o'clock hit the three of us had downed our tools, turned off our computers and Lafayette had my hand in his as he dragged me to the elevator. He led me to the car park where I found I'd parked my car quite close to his. The spaces closest to the building were reserved for the management, and my eyes were drawn to the shining cherry red corvette.

"The top man's car." Lafayette stated. "His pride and joy, apparently." I resisted the temptation to run the keys that were in my hand along the paintwork of the car.

We each drove individually to one of Lafayette's favourite bars, Fantasia. The name did not fit the establishment, but it was memorable at least. We sat down with a beer each and a shot of vodka.

"To Sookie – the newest marketing workhorse!" Lafayette toasted and we each downed our shot of vodka. "So, missy, tell us about yourself. I can tell from your cute ass accent that you're a local."

I'd already drained half of my beer, the cool liquid somehow soothing my insides and allowing me to open up. "Yup, I was born in Bon Temps, about an hour away from Shreveport, but I've only recently moved back to my old home."

"You mean you'd left and you actually came back?" Arlene asked, rhetorically. "Shit, I know if I got the hell out of here I wouldn't come back. How long had you been gone?"

I stared down at my hands as I swirled my beer. "I left Louisiana nearly ten years ago to study for an MBA at Stanford. It was there that I met my now ex-husband who was a computer science major. Once we graduated he was offered a job in Redmond, Washington and I went with him. I started up my own marketing firm based from Seattle."

I looked up from my beer and saw both Lafayette and Arlene staring at me with their mouths agape. It was Lafayette that spoke up.

"And why the hell are you doing this job? Shit, you're more qualified then any of the marketing bods. There is no way you should be doing their photocopying."

"Yeah, well, it's all I could get. I needed a job and there aren't too many of those around right now. I didn't really want to work at Northman Inc., I'd have preferred somewhere smaller, but it was the only job available."

"Couldn't you set up on your own like you did in Seattle?" Lafayette asked.

"I've thought about it, but I need to do a bit of research first. You know, see if there is the need for me. The fact is I'm doing very different stuff here to what I did in Seattle."

"Yeah, like run around getting coffees for bastards such as Victor Madden and Felipe de Castro."

Sam had already warned me about those two. They were two senior figures in the department and well known for not treating the junior staff very well. I'd been told to just go along with whatever they wanted but not put up with any shit from either of them. I'd realised already I was lucky to be working for Sam then either of them.

"So what happened to the husband?" Arlene asked.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "The fuckwad was cheating on me. I'd been out of town on business but came back a day early to surprise him with a romantic meal. When I got in the house I heard the unmistakeable sounds of sex, so went upstairs to see my husband dick-deep in his boss, Lorena."

"Shit. I hope you threw something at them."

"Unfortunately I had nothing to hand. I simply left and went straight to see my lawyer to petition for divorce. He didn't take it easily, kept on saying how much he loved me, how he wanted us to work through it and all that shit."

"I take it you didn't listen?"

"Damn right I didn't. I went to stay with my college friend Amelia who lived down in San Francisco. She'd never liked Bill Compton, the ex, so she was there to guide me in the right direction when I had moments of weakness."

"Compton? Did you not take his name?"

"I did, but I changed it back to my maiden name. I want nothing to do with that dunderfuck. I sold my business in Seattle and decided to come back here. I guess I just wanted the familiarity of home. I hadn't really been back much – Bill was from Washington state anyway and was so committed to work that he never really left. My Gran died a few years back and left me her home in Bon Temps, so that's where I'm living at the moment."

"Wow, you really do deserve a drink. Another?" I nodded and Lafayette ordered another round of beers.

"So how long have you both been working there?" I was trying as much as possible to forget that it was Northman Inc. I was working at.

"I've been there three years, Arlene for two. Neither of us really have aspirations of going up the meat chain. I'm a nine to five kinda gal – I don't want any of the hassle that the execs go through and I'm way too pretty to get worry lines." I laughed at him. "But what about you with your fancy business degree? Ideas on the top?"

"Not really. I'm not one for big corporations. I'd rather work for a smaller company or be on my own."

"Don't blame you. Most of the marketing men, with the exception of Sam, are complete dicks. You don't want to be working with any of them. But you're way too good for our job. Does Sam know of your qualifications?"

"Yeah, we discussed it in my interview. He knows I'm overqualified for the position but I told him honestly that I needed a job and was prepared to work at the bottom if I had to. He's promised he'll help me work my way up, but I'll probably look elsewhere."

"You don't want to work for Northman Inc.? I think they had about a hundred applications for the job you've got. They're the biggest company in the area and have good benefits. Why would you not want to stay if you can work your way upwards?"

I took another large swig of my beer. That was the one thing I was not going thing I was not going to discuss. I had my reasons, but I didn't want anyone else to find out. "I'm sure they're a good company to work for, but I'd just rather be a big fish in a small pond than be a nameless number in a corporation."

It was true to some extent.

The three of us sat chatting and getting to know each other for the rest of the night, grabbing some food before heading off in separate directions. I was seriously considering getting a place in Shreveport which would be much more convenient for work, but then if I was going to treat this as just a job there didn't seem to much point to getting too committed.

I returned to my farmhouse in Bon Temps and threw my keys and bag down on the kitchen table. I walked to the fridge and pulled out a soda. The house was very much unchanged since Gran had died and I looked at her pots and pans still filling the kitchen. As I thought about Gran I couldn't help the tear that fell from my eyes. She'd died suddenly of cancer, not knowing she had the disease until three weeks before her eventual death, and I was only grateful that she didn't suffer. She only told my brother Jason and I a few days before she died, meaning the pair of us had quite a shock when she passed as she'd always seemed so healthy, if not particularly fit.

I pulled myself together and removed my suit and crawled into bed, glad my first day hadn't gone as badly as I'd expected. I'd seemed to have made quite good friends in Lafayette and Arlene and Sam certainly seemed to be okay. I just hoped that I could keep my head low and stay away from the CEO.

.

The next morning I showered and pulled on my favourite pale blue suit that I'd been told on more than one occasion made my eyes 'pop' and headed out on the hour long drive to Shreveport. I made sure I'd given myself plenty of time to get to work as I wanted to give a good impression. I parked in roughly the same spot as I had the day before and headed towards the building. The cherry red corvette was again sat in its same spot and I did all that I could to pull my eyes away from it and head into the building.

I headed to my desk to see that Lafayette and Arlene were not yet in. I turned on my PC and started going through my emails, seeing what needed to be done. I was interrupted by a presence behind me.

"And what's a lovely thing like you sitting here all alone?" The voice was condescending and dripping with smarminess. I turned to see the face of Victor Madden standing far to close to me. He had greasy dark hair, seedy brown eyes and in no way could be considered attractive. In fact, he was positively repulsive. I backed my chair away from him, but he matched my movement and stepped closer.

"I'm just doing my work, sir." I hated being polite to him, but figured it was probably my safest option.

"Now I'm sure I would have noticed a hot thing like you, so I'm guessing that you're Merlotte's new assistant. You know, I could always do with a little assistance as well!"

I was feeling physically sick as he edged ever closer to me. I wanted nothing more than to slap him or knee him in the privates, but that would be an instant dismissal, no matter how much it was deserved.

"Yes, sir, I am. Now if you'll excuse me I need to …"

He interrupted me, his hand now on my ass as I tried to turn away from him. "Oh, I'll show you what you need." He pushed me against my desk and I could feel his hot breath on me on my neck as he leaned down. I was losing my cool and before I knew what I had done I'd kneed him in the bollocks. He crippled over in pain, crying out in surprise at my bold move.

When he regained his composure he looked at me with a look of pure hatred. "You will pay for this, I will see to that."

"Oh, I don't think so." I turned to see Lafayette stood to my right. "I saw exactly what you did to her, and that was definite self defence from your sexual harassment. If you so much as talk to my girl again you will be out of a job so quickly you'll have skid marks on your fat ass!"

Madden looked pissed off, but he'd been caught out and I was very grateful to Lafayette. He scowled at the pair of us and I mouthed a 'thank you' to Lafayette and resumed my position at my desk. I made a mental note to never arrive early to work again.

"A looker like you will have to be careful of assholes like Madden. De Castro as well, for that matter, but I think Madden's probably worse. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, feeling a little shaken and repulsed, but I'm okay, thanks. I'll be avoiding him like the plague from now on!"

The rest of the day luckily went without incident as did the rest of the week. As expected, the work was boring and involved little to none creativity. I just kept my head down and did what was asked of me. My job mostly seemed to involve fielding phone calls, photocopying and running errands for Sam and the other marketing execs. Victor Madden luckily kept his distance from me.

On the Friday I joined Arlene and Lafayette in returning to Fantasia with our friend Vodka. I was sat in a booth with my new friends as I drowned my sorrows of the first week working for Northman Inc. as the other two gossiped about co-workers. It didn't take long for the topic of conversation to turn to Eric Northman.

"Well, the man is beautiful," Lafayette began, "and quite simply there is nothing I wouldn't do to get me a piece of him, but he's an asshole. I've seen far too many nice girls eaten up and spat out by that man for my liking. If he wasn't so god damn pretty he'd be considered a shark, but there are just too many girls that think they're the one that will tame him. That boy cannot be tamed."

"Have you met him yet?" Arlene asked.

I'd been deliberately avoiding the communal areas, eating at my desk or leaving the office all together at lunchtime. "No, I haven't seen him."

"He's fuckhot. Probably a bit young for me, but he makes every other man pale in significance."

"I'll second that – if I was a straight man there would be no way I'd work for him, he'd taint the views of every girl. Hell, he taints the views of most guys as well! But I heard that he's known for arriving with one girl at a party and then leaving with another. And probably having a third while he's there. The man's got some style with the ladies, you have to give him that."

I simply nodded and hoped that they'd change the subject, but as much as I tried Arlene and Lafayette seemed intent on telling me all the gossip about Eric Northman. When I could take no more of such talk I stood and grabbed both of their hands, leading them to the dance floor. The three of us danced the night away on the small dance floor, and I loved to dance. I skilfully shook my thang as I danced with Lafayette, his hands on my hips and I wiggled my butt at him. It was actually quite liberating that he was a gay man and therefore I could dance in a provocative way with him without any of the usual repercussions.

Lafayette had been kind enough to let me stay at his place that night, my own car still parked in the car park at Northman Inc. When we got back to his two bedroom apartment he offered me another drink.

"So, Miss Sookie, tell me what you have against our noble leader."

I wouldn't have been able to hide the shock on my face if I'd tried. "Sam? Nothing, he seems a nice guy." I knew he didn't mean Sam.

"Don't play ignorant with me. I mean the great Eric Northman. You know him don't you." It was a statement rather than a question.

There were certainly no flies on Lafayette even though he'd drunk copious amounts of vodka. I put my head in my hands and sighed, trying to figure out how little I could get away with telling him.

"I won't tell a soul, scouts honour." He displayed the scout symbol and I laughed at the mental imaged I had of Lafayette as a scout.

I sunk down on his sofa, let out a sigh and took a huge swig of the very strong drink I had in my hand. "I knew Eric Northman growing up. I can't say we were friends, though. He was one of the popular boys and a friend of my brothers. He never really looked twice at me, I was just Jason's annoying kid sister. His own sister, Pam, was in my class and made my life hell."

"Yeah, I've met that particular she-devil. She doesn't work for the family business, but swans in every so often as if she owns the place. She's as much a piranha with the ladies as her brother is. Makes glad I'm a man and into men when you consider those two."

I almost choked on my drink. "Ladies? Pam's a lesbian?"

"You didn't know? Girl, your gaydar must be off. I can't imagine her ever seeming straight. She has more balls than a whole football team of men."

"I don't really remember her having any boyfriends at school, though pretty much all of the boys were fawning after her and hung on her every word or flick of her hair. And she had her own troupe of girls following her around as well, copying her and egging her on. What does she do now?"

"I think she was a model for a while, flying around the world while her brother went to Harvard to take up the reins of the family business. I'm not really sure that she does anything other than living off her income and attend the opening of the odd envelope here and there. Read Paris Hilton on that one!"

I laughed at Lafayette's snide and bitchy comments despite myself. Pamela Ravenscroft (she'd taken her mother's maiden name to distance herself from the Northman name despite the fact that she lived on the Northman money) had made my life a living hell at school. It was never anything physical, but her malicious bullying of me meant I had many a night crying myself to sleep and dreading going to school the next day.

"Now, tell me all about the young Herr Northman."

"Not much to tell, really that you probably don't already know. His family were and probably still are one of the most wealthy in Louisiana, but for normality they made their kids attend state school as neither momma or daddy Northman had had such privileges as a child. They both resented having to mix with the likes of me and flaunted their superiority and wealth at any opportunity. They were both too smart and too attractive and lived in their own little world. It was like a high school movie – the spoiled rich kids having to slum it with the muggles!"

Lafayette laughed. "I can imagine. Herr Northman isn't much better now. The only girls you ever do see on his arm are the ones with money or with the type of body you only see on MTV, though he's a complete manwhore – a different girl hanging off his arm at every opportunity. Lucky bitches!"

"I'm not so sure about that. I couldn't face being used and abused like that, no matter how pretty the man is." I thought back to the image permanently ingrained on my mind of my husband having sex with his boss.

"How long ago did you split?" he asked, obviously sensing where my mind had wondered to.

"Around nine months ago. Luckily after his initial reluctance he didn't contest the divorce. We'd both put half into the house so we just split our assets once the house was sold and I was free of him. I stayed in California with my friend and her husband while the whole process was going through, but I missed home and wanted to come back to Louisiana. I didn't really think that it would be so hard to get a good job. It's a sign of the times, I guess."

"I'll drink to that."

I not particularly convincingly faked a yawn – though as it was two in the morning it wasn't too hard – and I told Lafayette I was going to sleep for the night.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. I know you're hiding some sordid past with our noble leader. I've seen how you look at his picture on the intranet. You will tell me everything eventually." I smiled and made my way to bed.

After recovering from my hangover the next morning while watching and reciting _Dirty Dancing_ word for word with Lafayette, he dropped me off at the office on his way to the gym. I walked the short distance around the building towards my car, however as I walked I saw the red corvette sitting in its customary spot. But this time, the muscled back and blonde head of Eric Northman was leaning on the car as he spoke and gesticulated while on his phone.

"I don't care! Find out what you can and why she's here. I want her gone on Monday."

He violently thrust his phone into his pocket after ending his call and curled his large frame into the corvette. The engine started with a roar as he revved the engine and I panicked, desperate not to be seen by him. Unfortunately I was out in the open with no place to hide. I turned my face away as his car sped past and hurried towards my own car, not looking back but trusting that he'd driven off.

I sat down heavily into my seat shutting my eyes for a moment and placing my head on the steering wheel. I took a deep breath to compose myself, started the car and pulled away to lead out of the car park. As I approached the road I was shocked to see the figure of Eric Northman stopped by his car, his eyes on me as I drove out of the car park.

I didn't stop but simply headed back to Bon Temps.

* * *

_Okay?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the great response to this story._

_ I normally prefer to write longer chapters, but I felt this needed to be on its own. The next chapter will be an alternative POV..._

* * *

I didn't dare to look in my rear view mirror as I drove away from the office. Why was he sat there? Had he seen me, and if so why did he stop? And what about the conversation I partially overheard – who was he referring to? I pondered whether it was me he was talking about, but then would he remember who I was after nearly ten years by sight alone. I wondered whether he was still friends with Jason so he may know the Stackhouse name, but then I seriously doubted he took any interest in who was employed within his corporation.

But the fact was he hadn't driven off. He'd stopped. And he was looking at me as I drove past with a strange look on his face. Was it recognition or just the fact that I was a reasonably attractive blonde that he could pursue. I knew for a fact he wasn't going to succeed there. Not again.

It was only after ten miles that I dared to look in my mirror and was relieved to see that no red corvette was following me. But he knew where I lived. Hell, his parents owned the house next door, I could hardly avoid him forever. I was thinking that maybe the apartment in Shreveport might be a good idea.

The Northmans had various homes over Northern Louisiana, but the one in Bon Temps had been used when Eric and Pam were young as there was a huge amount of outdoor space. When they'd bought the house they'd erected a large wall around the perimeter of their land which caused my Gran no end of problems, but since they had the money there was no way she could ever contest any of the things they did to that property. At least these days they probably didn't spend much time there.

As I drove up Hummingbird Lane and into my driveway I couldn't help but look across the graveyard to the large house the Northmans owned. They'd never been the best neighbours. Gran had tried to be friendly and welcoming to them, but they simply erected the massive wall as soon as they moved in, made major renovations to the house and ignored her. I was never quite sure why they didn't just knock the house down and start again. I was always intrigued to know what the inside looked like as the outside was beautiful, but I knew I never would.

.

I slept late the next day being that it was Sunday, though I can't say my sleep was very restful. I could not get the image out of my head of Eric Northman standing by his car as I drove off, or the words I heard him say on the phone out of my mind. I guessed it would all come to fruition on Monday. If I found myself sacked from my job after only a week I'd know that he was, indeed, talking about me. I tried not to let it bother me. I had quite substantial savings and I owned the house I lived in, but I always preferred to work. That morning I did have a look on the internet to see if there were other jobs around, but I knew from past experience that the job at Northman Inc. was the best of a bad bunch.

I'd arranged to see Tara for Sunday lunch at her house. She married JB du Rhone who had been in our year at school a few years back, and they had a six month old daughter named Georgia. I'd hardly seen much of my old friend as I very rarely came back when I'd been married to Bill, but it was good to reconnect with her. She made us all lunch and I sat with her and JB during the meal as they talked about their marriage and how things had changed so monumentally with the inclusion of Georgia in their family.

"Bill never really wanted children, though he didn't tell me that until after we were married. I guess because we married quite young I just thought his reluctance was down to our ages, but I think he was not a family man. Hell, he ruined our relationship easy enough."

"Do you miss him?"

"Bill? Honestly not. I'm not sure I ever have since we split. I was shocked at the sudden end of my marriage, but I don't think I actually miss _him_."

I could see JB squirming at the table as the two of us started talking about relationships and he excused himself, taking Georgia with him to go and visit his mom's house. Once JB had left the house we relocated to the living room having grabbed a bottle of wine on the way past.

"It's so good to be able to drink wine now that I'm not breast feeding! I'd never have called myself an alcoholic or anything, but I really missed the stuff so I'm overcompensating at the moment!"

"I don't blame you. Alcohol certainly has its uses. I know I've needed it this week."

"Why?"

"First week at work."

"Ah. I'm dreading going back to work even if it will be only part time." She owned Tara's Togs, her own clothes boutique situated in the local strip mall (owned by the Northmans). "Where are you working?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. Tara new the Northmans as well as I did, and she too suffered at the hands of Pam as much as I did, if not worse. "I have a junior position within the marketing department at Northman Inc."

She almost choked on her drink at that revelation. "Seriously? You work there?"

"I didn't really have an option. It was the only marketing job going in the whole of Northern Louisiana. My boss knows I'm over qualified, and he's kinda sweet and has said he'll try and help me move upwards. But to be honest I think I'd rather stay off the radar."

"Wow. I can't believe you caved in. You know I'm sure we probably made some deal as kids to stay away from them as much as possible. I guess you failed on that one."

"Yeah, on more than one occasion." I said glumly.

We were both quiet for a moment as I thought back to those final few years of high school. I was eighteen years old the last time I saw Eric Northman and he'd returned for the summer from Harvard. He was even more gorgeous and handsome then I'd remembered him to be and I hated my traitorous body for reacting towards him in the way it did.

"Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, yesterday. Only briefly though. I'd left my car at work the night before and when my work colleague dropped me off I saw him."

"Did he see you?"

"I think so. It was odd, I tried to hide my face as his car went past but then as I drove out of the car park he'd stopped and was stood by his car watching me leave. I didn't stop."

"I don't blame you." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you ever see your brother?"

"I last saw Jason at Gran's funeral a few years back, but we didn't talk. The lawyer told me that he was pissed at me that I'd been left Gran's house. And that was despite the fact that I'd signed our parents house over to him on that basis years before."

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but your brother is a dick."

"I quite agree and you can certainly call him whatever you want. In fact that's one of the milder names I've called him over the last ten years. I believe that Jason is living in Monroe, well, that's the last address I have for him anyway. Gran said he'd started his own building firm and was doing reasonably well for himself. He got married to a girl called Crystal a few years back. I only met her the once at Gran's funeral as I refused to attend his wedding despite Gran's pleas. She seemed normal enough – I just hope she knows what she's let herself in for."

"Amen to that!"

"What about Quinn? I have no idea what came of him. Do you ever hear from Dawn?"

Dawn had been the third part of our friendship, though Tara and I were probably closer having been best friends since we were young children. And where I'd stayed in contact with Tara over the years I'd been away I had very little correspondence from her. I'd noticed Tara's face drop and she looked almost tearful.

"What happened, where is she?"

"Dawn was killed last year by some psychopath. She'd been hanging around a bad crowd – there was talk of drugs, illegal guns and prostitution – and she was murdered following some argument between her boyfriend, or pimp, or whatever he was and some other dope fiend. She was caught in the crossfire. Her family tried to hush it up as much as possible, but she'd always confided in me whenever we saw each other. She was scared and wanted to get out but she was so far in over her head that she didn't know what to do. I feel awful that I couldn't help her more."

I felt sick to my stomach and regretted not spending more time in Louisiana, but I had my reasons for leaving and getting away. I wondered why I had been so desperate to come back, with some of the memories I had.

"I'm sorry Tara, I'm sorry that I ran in the way I did. I just had to get away."

"Sook, you had yourself a scholarship to Stanford. That's hardly running away. You'd have been a fool to not take up that opportunity and you worked hard for it. And given half a chance I'd have left as well. Dawn got dragged into the wrong crowd."

"By Quinn?"

"Apparently so. He was into underground fighting and he had a huge debt against his name last thing I heard. Dawn fell for him and he dragged her down with him."

"Shit. I can't help feeling I got lucky."

"I think we both did. But really, how can you stand working for that asshole knowing what he did? Even his sister's not as sadistic as that."

"It's a job and I try not to think about it. The fact is that he's a successful businessman now and he needs me to keep my mouth shut. If we ever spoke up about what happened it could destroy him. I will always have that power over him."

"It's just a shame he's so god damn pretty to look at."

"Quite. He's even better looking now than he ever was. He's almost the anti-Bill – tall, blonde, toned, good-looking, charismatic, confident and dangerous. I guess that 's why I liked Bill, he always seemed so safe, so normal. I was obviously wrong in my judgement of him."

"Do you think you're wrong about Northman?"

"No idea. And I'm not sure I want to find out. I heard him talking on the phone yesterday, he was saying something about finding out why she was here and that he wanted her gone on Monday. I don't know what female he was referring to."

"Had he seen you then?"

"No, his back was to me. If he saw me at all it wasn't until he drove past. I have no idea if he was talking about me or not, but to be honest I doubt it."

Tara leaned in closer to me. "I'm going to tell you something in confidence and you must promise not to tell a soul. It's about Northman."

"Sure, it's not as if I ever told anyone about what happened, not Gran, not Bill."

"Okay, well you know JB works at the gym as a personal trainer." I nodded. "Well he overheard some girl talking on the phone at the back of the gym where she thought no one else was around. The girl was making threats against one of the Northmans – not sure which one – but it sounded to JB like she was trying to bribe someone."

"Who was the girl?"

"No idea. JB didn't get a good look at her and she was stood in a place so no security cameras were on her."

"Intriguing. Who knows what that could be about. I guess I'll just go to work as normal and see what happens. If I'm suddenly swept away and escorted off the premises I know that he was talking about me!"

"Is it safe to be near him?"

"I think so, he's a high powered businessman from a respectable Louisiana family. One thing he always was, was the family's son. He was being groomed for that role and I'm fairly certain that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardise that position."

"You're probably right. Have you ever wondered whose idea it was?"

"Yeah, after it happened I cornered Jason into talking to me. He swore blindly that it wasn't his or Eric's idea and they were both going along with Quinn. I was never really sure how much to believe him. But I think Quinn always was the ringleader."

"That was my impression as well, not that it makes your brother and Northman any better."

We were interrupted by JB loudly entering the house and Tara rolled her eyes. I stayed and chatted with Tara and JB a little longer as we talked about more jovial topics of conversation before heading home for a well deserved soak in the bath and some more wine before pulling myself into bed for the night.

.

I was as nervous going to work the next Monday morning as I had been the previous one. I again sat in my car in its customary spot and stared at the large Northman Inc. sign of the building in front of me. I jumped when someone smacked the roof of my car to pull me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Lafayette stood at my window. I composed myself again, picked up my bag and got out of my car.

"What are you daydreaming about, bitch. I hope you're not out here to avoid Madden. He's the one that should be running scared, not you."

"No, I was just thinking about stuff."

"Yeah, and staring at the large Northman sign? I told you, you will tell me all about it. Was he your first love? Is there some sordid past between you? Do tell."

"I can assure you that that is not the case," I smiled at him and gave him a wink as we walked slowly towards the building with him bitching at me the whole way.

The corvette was parked in its usual spot.

Arlene was already in when Lafayette and I arrived and she immediately launched into the story of her weekend, how she'd met some guy on Saturday night at a club who was half her age and kept her up most of the night. It was far too much information for a Monday morning and Laf was only egging her on into giving us more and more graphic detail of what went on between her and the boy. I hoped the boy knew what he was letting himself in for if he was going to see her again. However I'd come to realise that although Arlene was somewhat of a man eater she was harmless enough, and any man usually knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for as she was an open person.

I'd absently turned on my PC in the method I'd become accustomed to over the previous week, and once I'd logged into the various programmes and databases I opened my email.

There was an email from Eric Northman. I swallowed hard and said a silent prayer that it was no more than a group email from the CEO.

I was wrong.

I looked up to Lafayette and Arlene who were still recounting stories of their weekend and were now managing to bore Sam with their stories even though he was desperately trying to get them to start their week's work.

Seeing that I was being ignored I opened the email – which had a little important symbol next to it – and saw the one line message.

'We need to talk.'


	3. Chapter 3

_Just wanted to say thank you for the terrific response to the last chapter! I know I left you guys with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I'm afraid I couldn't help myself! _

_Presenting Eric's POV ... _

* * *

**Eric**

I ended the call and slammed my iPhone into my pocket. Somehow pressing a touch screen button to end a call was no where near as satisfying as slamming down the phone down into its cradle. I took a deep breath before climbing into my car, revving the engine a few times and then leaving to get the hell out of there. I needed to drive fast, to feel the wind burn at my eyes. I needed to let off some anger. Screw the speed restrictions.

As the car turned to leave the car park I saw an attractive blonde walking around the building and into the car park, her body was curved and perfectly shaped with luscious long legs. But she looked familiar somehow.

It couldn't have been.

But she had the exact same shade of hair as mine. _Her_ hair colour. Her face was turned away, almost as if it was deliberate. I pulled over the corvette – my most recent purchase and quite simply my prized possession – got out of the car and watched as the girl moved quickly towards one of the few remaining cars left in the car park. Her hips were swaying as she walked in an almost hypnotic fashion. She reached the small yellow car, got in and rested her head on the steering wheel. I'd noticed that particular car had been there that morning when I arrived – was she an employee?

After a few moments the car left its spot and moved towards me at a sensible pace. And I could see it was her. It was Sookie Stackhouse, or whatever the hell she was called now following her marriage. I was shocked to see her – she was one person I never ever thought I'd see again, and in some senses I'd been quite pleased about that. But there she was. Her car went past me but she didn't stop. We had eye contact for a split second, and I noticed a pained expression on her face. Why was she here?

I watched as her car drove past mine and onto the road. She didn't look back. I hopped back into my car and immediately went to follow her, but decided against it. I needed to know more details first. I instead turned my car and headed back to my parking space. I walked back into the building, muttering something to the weekend security guard about forgetting something and walked into the private elevator up to my office.

I sank down into my large leather chair and ran my hands through my hair, an annoying nervous trait I'd seemed to have picked up somewhere down the line. I booted up my laptop while I poured myself a generous drink of 20 year old Scotch whisky from the cabinet.

I rarely took much interest in the personnel files. I'd get reports once a month of the staff turnover, which normally was not very high – people knew that my company was a good one to work for, therefore they had no reason to leave. I wondered exactly how long she'd been working here, how had I missed her? I was aware that I very rarely socialised with the staff, that was beneath me, but how could I have missed this.

I opened up the programme, entered my username and password and searched on the new starters. Her name was at the top – the most recently hired. And it was in the name of Stackhouse. I opened up the record and there was a picture of her that had been taken for her security pass. She was beautiful, more beautiful than she ever had been as a rather awkward teenager the last time I had seen her. But even then there was always a certain charm about her, as if you knew the girl would blossom into the beautiful woman in front of me.

I read her file with a slight twinge of guilt that I was invading her privacy, but not enough to stop me doing what I was doing. I was CEO after all, I was quite entitled to check up on my staff, even if this was for a rather unorthodox reason.

She was back living at her family home in Bon Temps having previously owned her own marketing firm in Seattle and before that an MBA at Stanford. The girl was obviously smart as she would have had to have gone on a scholarship as the Stackhouses weren't that wealthy. She was also divorced and I was somewhat shocked to see that her emergency contact was given as Jason, even if it was the wrong address for him. The last time I'd heard from Jason Stackhouse he'd moved with his wife and twin sons down to New Orleans. It was a city that was badly in need of building contractors after all.

Most surprisingly was her position, the of a junior marketing assistant to Sam Merlotte. I'd had contact with him a few times and always found him to be amiable enough, but not a strong character. He was someone that would roll over and have their belly rubbed rather than bite your hand off. Why was she working as his assistant? He was hardly worthy of being her assistant. She had much more experience of working with top level clients than her was. And with those curves she'd certainly pull in a few new clients!

I internally debated as to whether I should interfere, but then I'd draw attention to myself if I did that, and I did not want people to know the relationship between Sookie and I. Would she keep her mouth shut? Should I consider a gagging order, should I be speaking to my lawyers? Should I get rid of her? Maybe I should just speak to her first.

As I was turning off my laptop my phone began ringing in my pocket. I looked at the earth symbol that was my background – it was a Shreveport number but not one I recognised.

"Hello?"

"Eric, how are you my love?"

I cringed at the sound of her voice. "What do you want, Sophie-Anne?"

"You know what I want, sweet-pea, I've told you that before. But now I also want you. Alone for one week, no distractions. Surely you get some vacation time from that job of yours? Oh, and ten million dollars of course, but you already know that."

I clenched my teeth and kicked my chair hard against the desk. "Listen, you psychotic bitch, it is not going to happen. You can threaten me as much as you like. I will not give into you."

"Oh, you will Eric dearest."

"You have nothing on me. Nothing at all." I gave a silent prayer that she did not know Sookie.

"Who said it was on you?" My blood went cold as a shiver went up my spine. "You still there? Do tell Pam I said 'hello' and ask her all about Felicia. She'll know what you mean." The line went dead but I stood staring at the phone in my hand trying my best to not throw it against the wall. I needed to speak to my sister.

I left the office in a blur and climbed back into my car, this time tearing out of the car park at pace to head back to my house on the outskirts of Shreveport. I left Pam a quick voicemail to meet me at my house as soon as possible. Once back, and probably after breaking every possible traffic violation, I parked the car in my underground garage and went up to my bedroom to change into a pair of swimming trunks. I desperately needed to rid myself of some of the pent up anger that was consuming me. Seeing Sookie and hearing from Sophie-Anne in the same day was a little too much to handle, even for me.

After changing, I dived into the large outdoor swimming pool relishing the cool water and I started swimming lengths, pushing myself as hard as I could go and enjoying the burn of lactic acid in my muscles. I'd lost count of the lengths I'd swam when I was interrupted by the sound of Pam clearing her throat. I pulled up to the side, got out and she threw a towel at me.

"You left me a message saying it was urgent. I was about to get my nails done, this had better be good."

I scowled at her and walked back into the house as she followed me into the kitchen. "Get yourself a drink, you'll need it. I'll be down in ten."

I went upstairs to have a quick shower and threw on a pair of dark blue jeans and black t-shirt. I had no idea what Pam would tell me. I'd never heard of anyone called Felicia, but then my sister had probably had almost as many women as I had. And somehow, also, Sophie-Anne knew that Pam was my one weakness, the one person I would give anything to protect. She was all the family I had after all having lost both my parents within six months of each other. I think it broke my mother's heart when my father died.

Pam was sat in the kitchen flicking through a fashion magazine when I walked in. She had opened a bottle of whisky and had poured herself a large glass. I wasn't even pissed that it was a bottle I'd been saving for a special occasion, but simply poured myself a glass in the tumbler she'd left out for me and I sat down at the island.

"You look like shit."

"I feel like it. Let's just say I've had a bad day with a few too many shocking revelations."

"Do you intend to expand on that or did I come over here to drink your alcohol and rub your feet while you tell me about your rough day." Her tone was biting.

"Quit the sarcasm, this is important."

"Do go on then." She made an elaborate signal for me to speak and sat staring at me with a smirk on her face.

"I had a phone call from Sophie-Anne."

"That crazy bitch? What the fuck did she want? I have no idea what you ever saw in her. Was she a good fuck? She was too crazy even for me. Not that I wouldn't, of course, she's fuckhot but she's a nutcase."

"Will you shut the fuck up and listen to me?" Her face dropped and she looked into my eyes sensing the seriousness all of a sudden. I sighed. "She first called me a few weeks back. Told me that she'd found out some information on our family and that she wanted five million dollars to keep quiet. Shit, the bitch even gave me her bank details expecting me to cave."

"She tried to bribe you?"

"She's still trying. She called again last week stating that if she didn't receive the money she'd go public with the information she had. And the sum had doubled up to ten million. I've been speaking to my lawyers and every private investigator I can employ to try and dig some dirt up on her but so far I have nothing. I was fully intending to fight fire with fire. I thought we may have had a lead but I heard from one of the investigators that she was in Shreveport."

I took a large swig from my glass and Pam immediately filled it back up again as she did her own glass as I continued.

"She called again today. She now want a week with me alone, along with the ten million dollars she'd already requested."

"A week with you? What are you, some kind of prostitute? Does that mean you're worth ten million dollars? I'm sure you're good, but that good?" She winked at me and I couldn't help a smile.

"I tried to call her bluff, tell her that there was nothing she could have on me." I looked over to Pam as she took another large gulp of her drink. "She told me it was information on you."

Pam's face visibly whitened as she placed her glass down on the counter.

"What about me?" She finally asked.

"She said something about someone named Felicia and that you'd know what she meant."

Pam got up from the counter and walked over to the opposite end of the kitchen where she stopped and rested her hands on the large unit, her back to me the whole time.

"Pam?"

"This isn't good." She turned to face me and for the first time in a very long time she looked truly scared.

"Pam, what happened? Who is Felicia?"

"I knew her when I lived in New York. She was a socialite, model and aspiring actress. We used to move in the same circles and we may have fucked a few times, but I never really knew her that well. She was the daughter of Charles Twining"."

"Fuck." Twining was a wealthy and well known politician in New York. "Where is she now?"

She shut her eyes. "She died a year ago from a drugs overdose."

"And what does any of this have to do with you?"

She turned away from me again and I went to pull her into an embrace as she buried her head into my shoulder.

"Pam?" I asked softly.

"I may have sold her the drugs."

She turned away from me again and walked back to pick up her drink. I simply stood and stared at her as she walked. "Fuck, Pam. Why did you not tell me this before? And why the fuck were you selling drugs? Seriously, dealing?"

"I am not a drug dealer. It was a one off. I'd bought too much for my own use so I simply sold it on. At a loss I may add." She refilled her glass and drained it as I walked back over to her and finished off my own drink. "I didn't want to embarrass you. I didn't want your name to be affected by this. I thought no one knew." Her voice was uncharacteristically soft.

"Yeah, well, somehow Sophie-Anne knows and she's going to use this to bribe us."

"This has nothing to do with you, Eric."

"It was everything to do with me." I yelled. "We're family, Pam, all we have is each other."

"I'm the one that fucked up, okay? Let her tell the world. I don't care, I can distance this from you. Its not as if I have the Northman name."

I sighed and pulled at my hair, my elbows on the counter. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'll speak to the investigators, there must be something we can use to discredit her. But if they can't find anything I will not let you do this alone."

"You will, Eric. And anyway as far as I know Twining kept things quiet about the cause of death of his daughter. I doubt very much that he is going to want the world to know that she was a drug addict."

"You may have a point there. We could approach Twining, he has political clout. That may work. Let me see what the investigators can find first. Name is everything to Sophie-Anne afterall."

I pulled Pam into my arms as I tear ran down her face. I held her in my arms as I had at our parents funerals and rocked her gently. "I'm sorry, Eric. I truly am sorry. I have changed my ways since that happened. I will not let you down again."

I had noticed a change in Pam over the previous year but I put it down to her maturing rather than any specific event. Although she didn't want to work for Northman Inc., she'd started doing charity work and had been involved in fund-raising for the recent disasters in Louisiana.

"You haven't let me down, little sister. And its not as if I'm a saint by any shot." I thought back to Sookie and hoped I'd be able to dodge a bullet there as well.

We relocated to the more comfortable surroundings of the living room, bringing the whisky with us, and both sank into our customary spots on the couch.

"What else happened today?" I was hoping she may have forgotten that.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I saw Sookie Stackhouse."

Pam's face portrayed the same shock I'd felt when I saw Sookie. Pam had been the only person I'd told about what happened as I knew I could trust her.

"Where?"

"Walking into the work car park. Her car had been obviously left there overnight."

"Isn't it employees only?" she said snidely.

"Yeap. That's the problem, she's just started working at Northman Inc."

"How long?"

"Only a week."

"What are you going to do? Do you think she's said anything to anybody? Have you spoken to Jason?"

"I last spoke to Jason around six months ago, but we never talked of his sister. I knew she'd married and was living up north, but knew nothing else. I honestly don't know what to do. The only thing I could really think of was to talk to her. At least a first."

"What and then ruin her, discredit her?" she asked with a knowing glint in her eye.

"If I have to. She owned her own marketing firm before and was really quite successful but moved back here after her divorce. Her position is only a marketing assistant but she's way over-qualified."

"She always was smart, I'll give her that." Pam never had liked Sookie, but I never really knew the reason why.

We talked for a while longer before she headed off to her own house and I sat down to do a little work before turning in for the night. I'd made a decision to go and visit Sookie at her home in Bon Temps and talk to her, see what she wanted. Dealing with both her and Sophie-Anne was a little much, but I'd dealt with many crazy bitches like them over the years and I was certain there would be many more.

.

I left home around noon for the drive to Bon Temps. It was a warm sunny day so I left the roof down in the corvette, my hair tightly tied at the base of my head to keep it from blowing everywhere. I couldn't help the slight feeling of anxiousness I felt in going to see her. I didn't like situations where I was not totally in control, and she certainly had some level of control over me.

It took forty-five minutes to do the hour journey and I rolled down the familiar parish road that used to lead to my parents house. I hadn't spent much time in the Bon Temps house since they died, but neither Pam or I wanted to sell it so we hired a housekeeper to maintain the property.

I parked at the bottom of her driveway so she would not notice my car approaching her house, and as I walked up the driveway I became quite glad I did that considering the shoddy nature of her driveway. This would have done serious damage to the corvette. I wondered momentarily why she didn't bother to get it fixed.

I approached the house, and seeing that there was no sign of her yellow car around the front I walked to the back, but again saw no car. I knew that the family had always used the rear entrance to the house rather than the front, so I walked up and banged on the door but there were no signs of life. I went back to my car and drove back to my parents house where from one of the upper windows I could keep an eye out to see if she returned.

After an hour or so of waiting and running out of emails I could reply to on my phone, I resolved to return home and speak to her first thing in the morning. I was feeling frustrated and wound up that I had not had the chance to speak to her, and drove back to Shreveport at an even faster pace. I spent the afternoon working out in my gym and burning off my excess energy before ordering a healthy take-away and reading until I was too tired not to sleep.

.

I was up at six the next morning, had my customary early morning swim, a light breakfast and I was in the office by just after seven. I winked at the receptionist as I came in and walked past her. I could feel her eyes on me as I walked to my elevator, no doubt staring at my ass. I found it very amusing that she came in two hours earlier than she needed to each day just to see me. She had no chance with me – too fake. I liked my girls to be natural.

_Like Sookie_, I found myself thinking before I could admonish myself. I was not going to go there again.

I sat down to start the week's work, but keeping a conscious eye on the time. When it reached a quarter to nine I logged onto the company's security system and watched the car park for signs of her arrival. I was pleased to see that as yet no yellow car had arrived.

A few minutes later I saw her approach and she parked in a similar spot to before. But she didn't seem to get out of her car, rather just sat there until some queen came and dragged her out of the car. I started to wish that I'd paid the extra money to have audio. I watched as she walked with him, laughing and into the building.

I opened up my email and sent her a simple one liner.

'We need to talk.'

* * *

_Sorry that I've left it in the same place again, but I wanted to do the talk from Sookie's POV._

_I promise to write very quickly!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Look, another chapter! This has turned out a little different to expected, but it should fill in some blanks!_

_I hope you like it!_

* * *

**Sookie**

I felt physically sick and I could feel the blood drain from my face as I looked at simple four word message on my screen.

'We need to talk.'

Nothing else, just those words. The sender was very clearly Eric Northman with his signature, company logo and contact details at the bottom of the email. Arlene, Lafayette and Sam were still deep in conversation but I had no idea what they were talking about. I only noticed a change when Lafayette started calling my name from across the desk. I looked up feeling a little flustered.

"Sook, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I … uh …. I feel a little sick and dizzy all of a sudden. Sorry." I quickly deleted the email as Sam and Lafayette came up to my desk. Lafayette was eyeing me suspiciously but Sam had a look of genuine concern.

"Cher, are you okay?" he asked in an overly sympathetic voice that did nothing for my nausea. "Would you like me to call a first aider? You look very pale." I shook my head in protest not quite able to find the words. He raised one of his clammy hands to my forehead. "You feel very warm, maybe someone should drive you home so you can lie down."

I jumped at his opportunity to leave. Hell, I was considering leaving the state – it wasn't as if Eric didn't know where I lived. "I can drive myself, but I think you're right, I probably do need to go home and lie down."

"Well, if you're sure. Give us a call when you get home so that we know you're safe – you have my number?"

"Yes, Sam. And thank you."

I quickly turned my PC off and grabbed my bag, avoiding looking at Lafayette until he was stood directly in front of me and blocking my escape. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Don't, Laf. I need to leave."

"You will tell me, Sook."

I gave him a half smile as he stepped out of my way and I made my way to the elevators, pressed the down arrow and waited a few seconds for one to turn up. Luckily it was empty and I leaned against the cool mirrored walls trying to regain my composure. What the hell was I going to do? Maybe I could go back to California with Amelia …

The elevator doors opened and I hurried out with my head down in the direction of the exit. Until I hit what seemed to be a brick wall.

I looked up straight into the eyes of Eric Northman, who was the wall of muscle I had just planted my face into. He had hold of my arms and didn't seem to want to let me go despite my struggling to get past him.

"Going somewhere, Ms. Stackhouse?"

He still wouldn't let go of me so I was forced to answer. I pulled my eyes away from his and stepped back as far as I could, keeping my attentions anywhere other than his face.

"Um, yes. I was going home, I'm not feeling to good."

I tried to move again, but I could not escape his firm grasp. I was forced to look back at his face and I was met with a raised eyebrow. Damn he looked hot.

"Why don't you let me drive you home then, you don't exactly live very local."

"I'm fine, honest. I just want to go home."

"I'll tell you what, come up to my office with me now, and then I will let you leave."

"I'm fine …"

"It wasn't a request." His voice was firm and I could tell from his eyes that he was not going to take no for an answer.

I took a series of deep breaths to calm myself and looked away from him. "Fine," I huffed.

"Good. Now if you'll just come this way …"

He let go of my arms but placed his large, warm hand on the small of my back to guide me through the lobby of the building in the direction of what I assumed was a private elevator. I honestly felt like his hand may well leave a scar due to the heat coming off him.

Luckily the lobby had been quiet with no one around to witness our confrontation other than the fake blonde receptionist who was giving me a very dirty look but at the same time trying to smile flirtatiously at Eric. He stopped us at her desk and leaned down close to her, almost as if to whisper into her ear. "You will mention nothing of this to anyone. If you do, I will know it's you and you will be fired immediately without a reference. So stay quiet if you want to keep your job." His tone was threatening and menacing and the poor girl looked like she was about to cry. I suddenly felt sorry for her despite her rudeness to me the week earlier.

He stood back up to his full impressive height, ignoring the girl and carried on pushing me towards the private elevator. Once inside I kept my eyes away from him, staring at the door instead until it opened to reveal a large and light office. Eric stepped out of the elevator and placed his hand over the door so it wouldn't close and indicated for me to follow him into the office.

I stepped forward onto the thick carpet which seemed to absorb the heels of the shoes I was wearing. Eric strode past me and I somehow managed to resist the temptation of running back to the open elevator door. The room was large and luxurious with a large, dark wood desk dominating the room, a few cabinets against a wall, two chairs sat opposite his desk and a large black leather sofa which Eric was indicated that I should sit on.

"Drink?" he asked, pulling a bottle of expensive looking liquor out the cabinet of his desk and pouring himself a glass.

"Isn't it a little early for that?" The large clock on his wall only said nine-fifteen.

"It's needed. Did you want a drink or not?"

"Just some water would be good, thank you."

He got up and pulled a bottle out a small fridge I hadn't noticed and handed it to me before sinking down into the large chair behind his desk, his eyes on me the whole time. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Why am I here?" I asked to try and break the tension in the room.

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"Are you firing me? You don't want me working here? You want me gone, is that it?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then a look of anger spread across his handsome face as he stood up and stalked closer to me. "How much did you overhear?" It was almost a growl.

I was starting to feel very scared. I'd always found Eric intimidating as a child, he was always bigger than the other kids, better looking, smarter and richer. And he knew it and used it for his own advantage. But this was different, I'd never seen his angry like this and I genuinely thought I could be in major trouble.

"Nothing," I stammered. "I only heard you say something about finding out why 'she' was here and that you wanted 'her' gone on Monday. I didn't know if you were talking about me or not."

I was desperately trying to sink into the couch to hide myself and I stared down at my feet fiddling with the bottle of water in my hand and relishing its coolness. I felt annoyed at myself for allowing him to affect me in this way – I was a normally a strong woman who didn't take shit like this, but Eric had always had some kind of power over me. I suddenly noticed that Eric had left his position and was sitting down on the sofa next to me. I felt myself flinch as I turned into the corner of seat.

"Sookie, I wasn't talking about you. I have some other … issues at present. I'm sorry if I've scared you and I don't want to upset you."

"Then why am I here?"

He let out a sigh and sank back into the seat. "I was somewhat surprised to see you on Saturday. I wanted to talk to you yesterday but you weren't home."

"I was at Tara's." I watched him visibly flinch at Tara's name.

Neither of us quite knew what to say next. I knew why I was in his office and it was about what happened ten years earlier. If I was to open my mouth he knew it would look bad on him.

"I won't say anything."

"What?" He'd obviously been lost in a world somewhere else.

"I won't say anything," I repeated. "About what happened. Your secret is safe."

He visibly relaxed and ran his hand into his shoulder length blonde locks, pulling at his hair a little. I couldn't help but feel jealous of that hand. I never really thought it possible that a man could be considered beautiful, but Eric Northman was just that – he was more than handsome. If the wall of muscle I ran into was anything to go by he was toned and strong with muscles upon muscles, but not to excess. He had a strong jaw, high cheek bones, strong nose and beautiful cornflower blue eyes. And I'd always loved his hair, which had been shoulder length and thick for as long as I knew him. It was exactly the same shade of blonde as mine.

"So why are you here?" his voice dragging me out of my daydream.

"You mean other than the fact you forced me into your office?" He didn't answer. "I needed a job and this was the only marketing position in the northern half of the state."

"You're over-qualified."

"You've been checking up on me?"

"I needed to know if it really was you that I saw. You shouldn't be working for Merlotte, you're probably better than anyone else in that department at what you do. You certainly have better qualifications."

I didn't quite know what to say to that. "Thanks," I muttered.

"I mean it. I should promote you, find a position for you."

"That would be nepotism." I stated without truly thinking it through.

He smiled. "Does that make you my friend?"

"What? No. We're not friends, Eric."

His face fell again. "Then why work for me? Why move back to Louisiana?"

"It's my home!" I almost yelled at him.

"Really? What do you actually have here?"

"My home is here. Nothing else matters. It is where I was brought up."

"But why take such a step downwards? You surely knew that in this climate you weren't going to get a good job in marketing in Shreveport other than at my company, and even then not at the level you should be working at. You could have moved elsewhere."

I was feeling exasperated. "I don't expect you to understand. Louisiana is my home. I missed it when I lived in Washington. My ex-husband never wanted us to come down here. I didn't get to see as much of Gran as I would have liked and now she's gone. Being here now … it just reminds me of her, of my roots ..." I finally opened the bottle of water in my hand and drained half the bottle. I wished I'd taken him up on his offer of an alcoholic drink. "Even if I have no family left," I added at the end.

Eric was looking at me with a strange look on his face. "I know Jason would like to hear from you."

I scoffed. "Well the last time I saw him was at Gran's funeral and we didn't speak. I don't want to ever see or speak to him again."

"But you're here talking to me." He spoke in a soft voice and it was almost a question.

"Because you forced me to! But you're right. I should leave. I can work elsewhere. I'm not entirely sure why I thought this would be a good idea at all." I got up to leave and I walked towards the elevator. I was about to press the button when he finally did speak. Was he testing me?

"Sookie, please don't go." I turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for hurting you. And I'm sorry for what we all did. I … I don't know what else I can say. It was wrong." I could see his sorrow and shame in his eyes. "What I did was wrong, but …"

But? Seriously? "There are no 'buts' mister." I span on my heel and pressed the little button.

"Sookie, I wasn't going to say that. I wasn't going to excuse what I did."

"Then what?" I demanded.

He ran his hand in his hair again, it almost seemed to be a nervous trait. "I was going to say that I did want you. I wanted to be your first."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you think I wanted to have sex with you on the floor of a cemetery? That's not how I planned my first to be. And certainly not how I wanted it to go with you."

He looked stunned for a moment. "Shit, you actually liked me didn't you."

What? "Who the hell didn't? You probably still have women literally feeding from your palm."

"I don't mean like that. I mean you actually liked me."

I really didn't want to answer that question, but Eric was waiting on an answer. I nodded.

"I never meant for you to get hurt …"

"How did you think that I wouldn't be hurt?" I yelled walking closer to him. "I was eighteen years old and you knowingly played me. For what? Some stupid bet between you, John Quinn and my fucking brother? There is no way I can ever forgive him because he allowed it to go ahead. I never had such high expectations of you."

"Sookie …"

"No. I don't forgive you, Eric. I will never, made a promise to myself when I found what you did that I would never forgive you." I walked towards the elevator door again and pressed the button which made the doors open. "And oh yeah, I quit."

**Sookie - 10 years earlier**

I was sat on the sofa curled up with the latest romance novel I'd picked up from the library when there was a knock at the door. Gran had been at her Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting for the afternoon and Jason was out on some date with some poor girl or other. I reluctantly got up and answered the door to see the the tall frame of Eric Northman filling up the doorway.

"Jason's out on a date, sorry."

I turned away from him letting the door go in my hand. I knew I was being rude and that Gran would probably smack me round the ear if she knew I'd spoken to him like that, but I was desperately trying to stay away from Eric. He was just so god damn hot though. He was the star of many of my fantasies, whether planned or otherwise, and even through I knew him to be a complete manwhore I was knew that given half a chance I'd cave in.

"I came to see you actually."

I span on my heels to see that Eric had followed me into the house.

"What? Why?"

He smiled a beautiful smile and shrugged. "Why not, I don't really know you and I'd like to get to know you better."

I snorted loudly. "You're kidding me right? The great Eric Northman turns up at my door and wants to know me better. What's the matter, ever other girl in Louisiana busy?"

"Sookie, you underestimate yourself. You're an attractive, intelligent and kind girl." He stepped closer to me, his blue eyes blazing on my own. I wanted to step away but I was rooted to the spot.

"I hardly think I'm your type." My resolve was waning. I was quite aware that he was seducing me, but I was determined to not give in to him. I liked him too much to be another notch on his bedpost. Assuming he had a bedpost left at all.

"You're exactly my type, Sook. I'm not the same kid I used to be. I've spent three years at Harvard now, I like smart girls. Sure, I've always appreciated beautiful girls, but you're that as well. You've got a good heart. You'll make some man very happy one day when you decide to settle down."

I swallowed audibly. What the hell was he getting at? "Eric, I'm not going to jump in bed with you just because you've said a few nice words to me. I'm not that kind of girl."

He smiled. "I know you're not. Its another of your charms." He moved closer to me a tucked a stray strand of hair behind my right ear. "Our hair is exactly the same colour," he commented. He reached behind my head to pull my hair out of my pony tail and picked up one of the longer locks so he could bring it to his head as he bent down. "See?"

I nodded fervently at his question as his closeness had disabled my ability to make a cohesive sound. He was moving ever closer to me and I found myself unconsciously tilting my head towards him. His hands went into my hair and he gently stroked his large thumb across my cheek.

"You are beautiful, Sookie."

I was being called beautiful by Eric 'the god' Northman and his luscious lips were mere inches away from mine, his hot breath on my skin. I could feel my heart pounding within my chest and I wondered whether he could hear it. My breathing was shallow and erratic. He moved one of his hands from my head and onto the small of my back to pull me closer to him. I could feel his bulge growing in his pants.

Fuck. Eric Northman was turned on by me?

I could feel the wetness pool between my legs as his lips came down to mine and his soft and full lips kissed my own with expert precision. I'd kissed a few boys, but most of my experience was with the back of my hand. I let him lead the kiss as he gently sucked on my bottom lip and then ran his tongue along it, silently asking for entrance.

I obediently opened my mouth slightly and he deepened our kiss, pulling me even closer to him, his hand gripping my ass. My own hands somehow picked up bravery and began to move over his hard, muscled body and up to his hair which I'd always loved so much.

He started slowly pushing me backwards and my butt made contact with the back of the sofa. He pulled away slightly to allow us both to allow some oxygen into our lungs, but he also picked me up so that I was seated on the back of the sofa. I instinctively opened my legs as he moved closer to me, my dress rising up around my hips as I did so.

His lips were forcefully back on mine as he ground his hardness against my centre giving me the friction I was desperately wanting. I pulled myself as close to him as humanly possible, my hand finding its was to the glorious ass I'd ogled on many an occasion. It felt as perfect as it looked. I started to moan into his mouth as his hips thrust against mine, and he pulled back to look at me, his eyes dark with lust.

"I want you, Sookie."

"Eric, I've never …"

"I'll be gentle."

Fuck, he was so hot. I knew that what I was doing was wrong on so many levels, but I couldn't resist him and my body was betraying my mind. I wasn't sure that I truly knew what love was, but I was certain that I'd loved him for years. He was the one you shouldn't want but you just couldn't help yourself. He was that last chocolate brownie that tipped the scales.

"Do you want me?"

His voice was warm and sultry in my ear as he started nibbling and kissing down my neck, his hand pinching my nipples through the thin fabric of my dress. I moaned in pleasure and bucked against him. He moved one hand to my knee and slowly ran his large hand up the inside of my leg. I trembled with anticipation knowing where his fingers were going. I felt one of his fingers trace the outline of my slit through my soaked panties and I almost screamed in pleasure.

"So wet for me, Sookie."

He lifted me slightly so he could remove my panties altogether and stuffed them in his jeans pocket. He then resumed kissing my neck while one hand caressed my back and the other started making small circles on my swollen clit. I knew I was not going to last long when one of his long fingers dipped into me. It made me very glad that Dawn had bought me that bullet vibrator for my seventeenth birthday as otherwise what he was doing would have been very painful.

His thumb was still making rhythmic circles on my tender mound as he entered a second finger into me and curled his fingers upwards, instantly finding contact with some spot deep inside me that I'd never been able to hit. I could feel the warmth spreading through my belly and down my legs as I got closer and closer to my orgasm. When he started to thrust his fingers in and out of me I was done for and the orgasm that had been coming shot through my body and I cried out his name in ecstasy.

When I managed to come back to the world of the living I looked up at Eric and found a smug smile on his face. That man certainly knew what he was doing.

"My turn now," he whispered, the look on his face predatory.

I took hold of his hand gently. "My room's back here."

"No, not in your bedroom. Come with me."

He scooped me up into his arms and grabbed the afghan off the couch. He kicked open the door and turned right out of my house and into the cemetery that was between our houses. I was shocked that he was taking me outside and that this was the place he was taking me. I fully intended to tell him 'no' when we stopped.

He led me to a clearing in the woods and threw the afghan down onto the floor before depositing me on top of it.

"Eric, I don't think …"

"Sookie, lover, you're over-thinking this. You want me, don't you?"

"You know I do." And I did, so badly.

"And surely your Gran will be home soon?" He started to kiss down my neck.

I'd completely forgotten that Gran was due home. What would have happened if she walked in on Eric and I doing that on her couch? I was suddenly mortified.

"Sookie, it's okay, really. She didn't walk in on us, and no one is going to find us here. It's just the two of us."

I felt my body relax and my mind somehow calmed itself. All I wanted was Eric. We had resumed kissing and I allowed my hands to go underneath his t-shirt and run over his body. He broke away momentarily to remove his t-shirt altogether and I marvelled at his chiselled torso. I had no idea a man could be so attractive.

As Eric began kissing down my neck and onto my chest he started to undo the buttons at the front of my dress until it was completely opened. He suckled at my nipple through the fabric of my bra as I moaned and writhed beneath him.

"Can I taste you?" he asked in a husky voice and I nodded enthusiastically.

He lips were at my centre, his warm breath increasing the heat my body felt. His tongue ran along my folds and I heard him mutter something to himself as my body seemed to melt under his touch.

I wanted him, I needed him. There was a small voice at the back of my mind telling me that this was too good to be true, but I silenced that voice. There was no way I was not going to go through with this now.

"Eric, please. I need you."

He smiled above me, stood up and pulled out what I correctly assumed to be a condom and kicked off his jeans. Did he always have a condom in his back pocket? It should have sent of warning bells but my body was to far gone to allow my mind to think coherently.

I looked up at him to see that he had gone commando, and he was stood in front of me with an enormous erection. I swallowed my breath as I looked at him – there was no way that _that_ was going to fit inside me. He obviously sensed my trepidation as he quickly scooted down onto his knees so his naked body was on top of mine, his weight on his knees and arms.

"It's okay, lover, I know what I'm doing. It is likely to hurt a bit though."

I nodded. All I could do was trust him. He reached between us and dipped his finger into me, rubbing my moisture around my entrance before he placed the tip of his erection at my opening. He moved in slowly and gently as I felt myself stretching around him. It was painful, but more like a dull pain than a sharp one. As he pushed in further the pain did increase and I felt a tear escape from my eyes, which he wiped away.

It seemed an eternity until he was fully sheathed inside me, and once in he remained still, kissing me softly and whispering words of encouragement. When I felt the pain subside I started to move underneath him, desperate for some friction. He took the hint and began making shallow thrusts into me, my pleasure building the whole time and my nails digging into his muscled shoulder blades. As his stroke increased as did my pleasure. We were both moaning and panting heavily and when he shifted angle slightly he hit that place deep inside that sent my orgasm pulsing through my body.

He was grunting on top of me as he started to thrust hard into me and I felt him swell inside me before he let out a guttural moan as he spilled his seed. He rolled off me and collapsed onto the afghan, both of us breathing heavy as we took the time to recover. His eyes were still shut as I sat up and heard the sounds of Gran's car crunching up the gravel road. I did up my dress and leaned in to kiss him softly on the mouth.

"Thank you, Eric."

He smirked, "glad to be of service to you!"

He stood up quickly, disposed of the condom in the bushes (which I was not happy about) and started putting his clothes on. I heard Gran shouting my name in the distance.

"I should go. I'll see you again soon?"

He smiled an evil smile at me. "I'm sure that you will." And with that he headed in the direction of his parents house.

I stood and watched him until he was out of sight, not quite sure what had happened. I picked up and brushed off the afghan before heading back into the house. I went in the back way, depositing the it into the washer as I went past so it wouldn't smell of sex. I shouted to Gran that I was home and went into my bathroom and turned the shower on, suddenly realising how dirty I felt.

.

I never saw Eric again after that. I tried to see him for the first week or two afterwards, concerned that I'd done something wrong. But once I found out about the little game him, Jason and Quinn had played I knew I never wanted to see him again.

I knew that I had been used by him and I felt stupid that I hadn't listened to my own doubts. I guess I leant the valuable lesson that if something was too good to be true it normally was. When I told Tara about what happened I was shocked that something similar had happened between her and Jason, who she had been very much in love with for years. I'd have happily killed both of them when I found that out. It was only later that we found out about Dawn.

I never told Gran about what happened between Eric and I, although she knew something was up as I hardly came out of my room that summer before leaving for Stanford. And I certainly refused to speak to Jason, deliberately leaving the room if he walked in. I was glad when it came to the time to leave – I needed a new start away from the horrors of that summer.

* * *

_So do you all hate him or feel Sookie shouldn't have caved so easily?_


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow - a real mixed response on the last chapter. Though most of you seem to think that Eric was definitely a dick. _

_Thanks very much for all your reviews, alerts and favourties._

* * *

**Eric – 10 years earlier**

"Pam's a lesbian? Man that's a waste. I always thought I had a good chance with her."

I laughed at the appalled expression on Jason's face. "Sorry, man. You lack the essential equipment for my sister. I can't remember her ever really being into guys. I think she had a thing for Princess Leia as much as I did! I only hope that she doesn't steal any women off me!"

"Unlikely, man!" We clinked our beer glasses together. It was good to legally drink in a bar as I shared a large pitcher of beer with him.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in?" Jason turned to follow my gaze as the huge frame of John Quinn approached us. He was the only man I knew who was bigger than me.

"Gentleman. Long time, no see." Jason shifted along the booth and he sat down. Neither of us had seen Quinn for a few years as where Jason and I had gone to college he'd started up his own entertainment business. A business which seemed to be doing quite well and get him into social circles.

"John, how are you?" I asked with a devilish smirk. He hated being called by his first name.

"Shut the fuck up, Northman." He went to slap me but I dodged out of his way. "So how are things in this backwater town? I'm amazed you two still bother coming back here."

"My sister and Gran are here. Guess I need some roots." Jason answered.

"Ah yes, your hot little sister. That brings me on to my suggestion for one last proposal before we all make our way in life."

Quinn's proposals were legendary, though had gotten us all into no end of trouble over the years. The last one had us all volunteering at a local old people's home and causing some havoc. It didn't take long for us to be asked to leave the premises with the threat of notifying the local police.

"Go on." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I thought that we should do a service to the local girls."

"We already have!" Jason said at the same time as I high-fived him.

"I didn't mean those girls. I meant the ones that have so far resisted our charms." He leaned in closer as Jason and I mimicked his movement. "I meant the local virgins. We each take a girl, seduce her and bring her into the real world. We'll be doing them a favour."

It was an interesting idea, and there probably were a few untouched girls knocking around Bon Temps. It was the bible belt after all. But I certainly wasn't going to force anyone, the girl would have to be willing.

"What's this got to do with my sister?" Jason asked.

"Well I was thinking we could use all three of our sisters. My sister certainly needs to loosen up, and when I planned this I envisioned one of you two to do the deed. Unfortunately she was hit by a car last week and has her leg in plaster. I'd imagine that would kill anyone's sex drive, so she's out. But I can think of a few replacements." He winked. "Northman, you're sister's pretty damn hot and I've never ever witnessed her with a boyfriend."

Jason nearly spat out his beer and Quinn looked confused at the smirk on my face. "That, good sir, is because she bats for the other team."

"You're sister is a lesbian? That's so hot. Do you think she'd be up for a threesome?"

Trust Quinn to think along those lines. "As far as I know she wouldn't go near a man. And anyway, she's in Sweden at the moment with our aunt working as a model. She'll be there all summer." I couldn't help but feel a little glad that Pam was away from this, but then I knew she wouldn't have taken any shit from Jason or Quinn. The boys would have come out worse from that fight.

"Well, that leaves Sookie. Jase, you think your sister would be up for a little Quinn loving?"

For some reason that I could not fathom, my blood began to boil. I did not want John Quinn anywhere near Sookie. We'd heard rumours that he was into an underground sex scene and had some rather dodgy clients. I didn't want to subject Sookie to that.

"If I'm doing this, then I'm with Sookie."

Jason and Quinn both eyed me, the looks on their faces displaying very different emotions. Quinn was pissed off where Jason looked almost a little … grateful?

I stared Quinn down until he conceded. "Fine. I was considering Dawn Greene anyway. The girl gives an awesome blow-job after all." All three of us could agree with that statement, the girl was well known for her skills but had never gone the whole way. "And Jason, you know Tara Thornton?"

It was well known that Tara, Sookie's best friend, had a major crush on Jason. "Yeah, I know Tara. I'm sure she'd love a little Jason-loving." We all laughed but I felt a little sorry for the girl. It wasn't right to do this if feelings were involves.

"So gentleman, the challenge is that we each take a lovely lady and introduce her to the ways of the world. If you can, I want panty evidence and you should endeavour to do the deed out of doors. Any questions?" We both shook our heads. "Well, we'll reconvene in one week."

We spent the rest of the night drinking and catching up, recounting stories of our college and work lives. When the bar closed we each went our separate ways, Quinn heading off first.

"Eric," Jason called. I turned back to him. "I wanna say thanks. I didn't like the thought of Quinn going anywhere my sister. Just be gentle with her, okay?"

"I will do, man. You're sister is a sweet girl."

"Thanks."

We both headed off home. But for some reason I couldn't help thinking about Sookie. She wasn't my usual type, though she certainly wasn't ugly and I did like smart girls, but there was something about her that got under my skin. I certainly was looking forward to giving her the pleasures she was missing out on though.

I'd spoken to Jason and found a time when her Gran would be out and I went to visit her. Her initial reaction to me was somewhat cold – obviously she was the only girl in Bon Temps who hadn't fallen under my charms, most girls would have welcomed me with open arms. She let the door close on me telling me that Jason was not in, but I followed her into the house. It didn't take long for her body to react to me, and even less time for mine to react to her. She was voluptuous and curvy in a very womanly way that I had never noticed before. Was this a new development or had I simply been ignorant?

I told her she was beautiful and pulled her to me, allowing her to feel my arousal. And in that moment she was beautiful. I wanted her and I wanted to be her first, to show her the pleasures of the body. I kissed her softly at first but soon deepening the kiss and pushing her back so her ass came in contact with the back of the couch. I lifted her up to sit on it to quell some our height difference and as her legs opened I ground my erection into her heat as her hands found my ass. In that moment there was no way that I was not going to have her.

I told her that I wanted her and she pretty much admitted she was a virgin, her anxiety showing on her face, but I put her at ease. As I kissed down her neck and pinched her hard nipples through her dress she moaned and writhed beneath my touch causing my already hard cock to stiffen further. I ran my hand along her smooth tan legs as she trembled beneath me. When I found her centre I gently ran my finger along her panties, surprised at quite how wet she was for me.

I removed my hand to lift her and removed her panties, stuffing them into my pocket as evidence of the deed. I resumed kissing her as I supported her with one hand and put my other hand to work on her swollen clit. She was moaning and bucking beneath my touch as I entered one and then a second finger into her, feeling her tightness. It didn't take long for her walls to clench around my fingers as her orgasm sent shock waves through her body. The expression on her face was divine.

She tried to lead me to her bedroom but that would have been too personal. Instead, and knowing Quinn's other stipulation, I scooped her into my arms, grabbed an ugly afghan off the couch and carried her into a small clearing in the cemetery between our houses that I'd taken a few other girls to. I threw the afghan onto the floor and laid her on it. She tried to protest, obviously not too happy about my choice of location, but once I mentioned the possibility of her Gran walking in on us she soon came around.

I kissed her further as her hands ran under my t-shirt, her eyes devouring my body as I removed the offended article. I started to kiss down her warm body, slowly unbuttoning her dress and placing kisses on each new piece of exposed flesh. Once her dress and bra were removed, and she was completely naked in front of me, I wanted nothing more than to taste her. After gaining her permission I leaned down and first placed a chaste kiss on her most private of places, enjoying the smell of her arousal. But I could hold back no longer and I ran my tongue deep into her, lapping up the moisture that had pooled there.

"Eric, please. I need you."

Her voice was hoarse with lust and I couldn't resist a smile as I kicked off my shoes before removing my jeans and pulling out the condom I'd conveniently placed there. I saw her shock at my size as I slid the rubber on and a glimpse of fear crossed her face. It was a long time since I'd been with a virgin, but I knew to be gentle and let her get used to my size. Hell, most girls needed that.

I spread some of her moisture around her entrance then pushed my way slowly into her. She was incredibly tight and warm and it was taking all of my self control to not push all the way into her. I could tell she was in pain, which seemed to increase as I went further into her, but she was brave and allowed me to keep going.

Once fully in I remained still until she started to move against me and I started with small, shallow thrusts but increasing them all the time. She was perfect, her nails digging into my shoulder blade causing a little welcome pain as her body moulded around mine as if she was made for me. I shifted my angle to hit the sweet spot inside her which sent a second orgasm through her body, and I increased the pace as she moaned and panted beneath me. Her eyes her lust filled and intense, and after kissing her once more I emptied my load into the condom and rolled off her.

We both laid on our backs as our heart rates descended to more acceptable levels and I recounted the events that had just happened. This may have been one of Quinn's crazy-ass proposals, but that was most certainly worth it. I just about registered the sound of a car coming up her drive and I opened my eyes to see Sookie already sat up and doing the buttons of her dress back up. In a move that surprised me she leaned over and kissed me tenderly on the mouth, thanking me for what I had done. A pang of guilt swept through me, but I disguised it with a smirk and made some smarmy comment.

I got up, threw the used condom into the bushes and got dressed as Sookie watched me. Her head turned as her Gran called for her from across the cemetery. When she asked if she'd see me again all I could do was smile and say that she probably would see me again. And with that I turned and walked in the opposite direction across the cemetery to my parents house. I was painfully aware that her eyes were on me until I was out of her line of vision.

Once home I went straight to my room and flomped down onto the bed, her taste still on my lips. I laid there reading for a while before eventually dragging myself into the shower to wash her smell off me. She had been exquisite, her taste was exquisite and the way her body wrapped around my cock was like no other.

This was bad, this was not meant to happen.

I was finding myself developing feelings for her, and quite simply, Eric Northman did not do feelings. That was for other guys. I wasn't one to fall in love, I was the love 'em and leave 'em type; get my pleasure from them and then move onto the next. I didn't know what would happen if I saw her again, and I hated uncertainty. I hated not being in control.

So I avoided her.

I was aware that for at least a week after we had sex she tried to see me – find some excuse to appear at my house. I'd told my parents that she had a major crush on me and I didn't want to hurt her, which to some extent was true. And being that the parents knew exactly what I was like they fobbed Sookie off whenever she came around.

Jason, Quinn and I had met up the week after, all three of us having successfully completed our tasks. I didn't brag, however, partly as she was Jason's sister but mostly because I knew it had been wrong. It was a week after that that Jason called me to meet up, saying there was something we needed to talk about.

I met Jason at an out of town bar and we sat out in the beer-garden enjoying the heat of the midday sun.

"Sookie knows." Jason's face was grave.

"Knows what?" I was hoping that he was not going to say what I thought he would.

"She knows about the bet."

"Fuck." I sank back into my seat and ran my hand through my hair, pulling a little. "How?"

"Quinn came over to Gran's house while I was there and started shooting his mouth off. I thought Sookie was in the back yard sunbathing, it seems she'd come in for a drink."

"Fuck," I repeated. "What happened?"

"Well, first she kicked Quinn out calling him a string of names and then she made me tell her exactly what it was about. I told her everything, I couldn't lie to her. I'm sorry man, she really hates your guts now. I don't think she's ever going to talk to me again. I feel like a complete dick."

"You're not the only one. Fuck. Why didn't we just tell Quinn to fuck off? It was a depraved scheme, and that he wanted to involve _his_ own sister?"

"I know. Hindsight is a wonderful thing."

"Has she told your Gran?" I was fairly certain that if Sookie's Gran knew what I had done she would have had my balls on a platter.

"No, and she says she won't. Says she's too embarrassed to tell her." I let out the breath I was holding.

"I feel like a complete fucking asshole. Hell, I felt like that before I knew she'd found out. Your sister is a sweet girl, I never should have done that to her."

"I never should have let you, let Quinn even suggest it. It was a sick enough scheme as it was, I shouldn't have let Sookie be involved."

"What are you going to do?"

"She won't talk to me. She's told me explicitly that she wants nothing more to do with me. Gran knows something is up as Sook always leaves the room if I walk in, but neither of us are going to tell her. We've fought before, but this is far worse. I'm just going to stay at my house and give her her space. There's nothing more I can do. I've tried to apologise to her but she won't listen."

"Should I speak to her?"

I wasn't sure if it was the best idea or not, and I didn't want her to think that I was doing it to make myself feel better. I just wanted to explain that I did like her, that I had wanted to be with her.

"I don't think you should. I really think its best if we both leave her alone."

I agreed with Jason and we both went our separate ways. As I drove past Sookie's house I felt a deep surge of guilt within me and I was almost desperate to go and talk to her, but I remembered Jason's words and drove back to my own house. I went upstairs to one of the rooms that overlooked the Stackhouse property, but I did not see her. As I stood watching her house I made the decision to get away. If I stayed in Bon Temps I knew I wouldn't be able to not talk to her.

I informed my parents that evening that I was going to go and join Pam in Sweden. Our mother was Swedish but left to come to America for university where she met my dad. She'd taught us Swedish as kids, and although mine was a little rusty both Pam and I had kept it up. The parents were certainly surprised at my move, but supported me and my mom in particular was pleased that I was heading over to Stockholm.

At least a move across the Atlantic was far enough away from Louisiana and the events that had gone on.

When I arrived in Sweden Pam instantly knew something was up and I ended up telling her the whole story. She'd never liked Sookie for some reason, though didn't make any rude or snide remarks about her as I recounted my tail. It took me a few months to get back into my stride, and Pam was shocked at my lack of action for the few months I was in Stockholm with her. Things improved when I returned to Harvard, but I made a mental note to always make sure there were no feelings involved when it came to fucking around. There were plenty of girls who were more than happy to be fucked, girls who didn't want anything deeper than being seen with me and having phenomenal sex. And things had pretty much stayed that way.

But I often found myself thinking about Sookie, and I'd stayed in contact with Jason over the years, seeing more of him when we both returned to Louisiana having finished college. I'd hoped that after a year I would get to talk to her and apologise, but Sookie never really came back. Jason informed me that she'd met some guy and fallen in love with him. She tended to go to his parents who lived in Washington over the holidays, only coming back to see her Gran when she knew Jason or I weren't around. I was told a few years after that that she'd married this guy, and I was surprised by the jealousy that flowed through me.

I tried to forget, tried to push her out of my mind, but I never quite managed it.

**Eric – Present Day**

"No. I don't forgive you, Eric. I made a promise to myself when I found out what you did that I would never forgive you." Her eyes were hard and cold as she looked at me before she turned back towards the elevator and pressed the button. Before she left she span on her heel and looked back at me. "And oh yeah, I quit." She walked into the elevator and the doors closed behind her.

I sank back down into the couch and drained the remainder of my drink. That had not gone as expected, but then I wasn't quite sure what I expected. Did I think she'd just forgive me? And what did I even want from her?

What I did know was that I did not want her to quit. In fact I had an idea. I'd spent time over the previous four years that I'd been CEO since my fathers death revamping some of the departments, and the marketing department was one I'd not got around to. I spent the rest of the morning looking over the figures and what was evident was that it was not an efficient department. I decided that a restructure was very much on the cards.

I arranged a meeting that afternoon with Chief Marketing Officer, Damon Cataliades, and discussed my plans, which he was remarkably receptive to. It seems he'd been thinking along those lines for a while as well. We talked about the various staff and it was evident that we needed more skilled account managers. And I had a feeling that Sookie was perfect for the role. I subtly pointed Cataliades in her direction and he was surprised to see someone of her skills in such a lowly position in the department. I let him make up his own mind that he'd speak to Sam Merlotte about promoting her into the new position. He seemed genuinely very pleased that 'he' had found her, but I kept quiet. He informed that he'd speak to those within his department and bring about the necessary changes. I told him to present a budget to me when known but I wads more or less happy for him to run with it.

It was gone seven when I left the office that night and I was quite glad that I'd found something to distract myself from Sookie, even if it was at least partially related to her, I picked up some Chinese food on the way back and found Pam sat in my kitchen when I arrived. It was a good job that I'd bought extra food.

"So how did things go with Sookie on Sunday?" she asked as we were tucking into the take-out food.

"She wasn't in yesterday so I spoke to her this morning at work. I can't say things went well. She quit her job."

"Did you at least apologise to her?"

"I did, but she told me point blank that she would not forgive me. I can't say I really blame her."

"Fine, but is she going to tell anyone?"

"She said not."

"Well what's the big deal then? You should be celebrating. And she's quit her job! That's what you wanted, right?"

I got up and cleared my plate, noisily scraping the remnants into the garbage.

"Eric." Pam's voice was almost in a warning tone.

"What, Pam?" I snapped, turning back to her.

"Don't go there, Eric. You'll only end up getting hurt and it will probably hurt her just as much. I may not like her but I don't think she deserves any more shit from you."

"Why don't you like her? What did she ever do to you."

"Don't change the subject," she snapped.

"No, don't you change the subject. Tell me, what's wrong with her?"

Pam sighed. "I never wanted to tell you this, but when we were first forced into school in Bon Temps she was one of the first people I met. And I tried to be friends with her, but she seemed to resent me for some reason, whether it was because we had money, or because we lived across the way from her, or maybe even because you were my brother, but she seemed prejudiced towards me, and I didn't like it."

"So you made her life hell when you made other friends?" Pam really had always been a bitch towards Sookie, though I still felt there was something else.

"Something like that," she smirked.

"You sure that its not that you liked her a little too much?"

She scowled at me but refused to answer.

"I'm right then, you actually liked her but rather then be nice to her you made her life a misery. Real nice, Pam."

"Oh yes, because fucking her in a cemetery for a bet and not speaking to her afterwards was real chivalrous of you."

We were at loggerheads at each other, neither one if us willing to back down until we were interrupted by my phone going off. I walked away from Pam to answer it.

"Eric, it's Bobby. I've found out some dirt on Sophie-Anne LeClerq. It involves her brother Andre …"

* * *

_Is Eric doing the right thing?_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for all the reviews and those who have added me to their alerts and favourites._

* * *

**Sookie**

I fought back the sting of tears as I rode down Eric's private elevator. I had no idea quite what I was so upset about – I'd come to terms with our 'indiscretion' many years earlier – but actually being face to face with him after all these years was surprisingly painful. And damn he looked so good. He'd been wearing a gporgeous silver suit that had obviously been made for him as it fitted him like a glove, along with a crisp white shirt and tie that perfectly matched his eyes. Why did I have to find him so attractive?

When the elevator reached the bottom I quickly got out and walked hastily towards the exit of the building, avoiding looking at the fake blonde at reception. Much as I was angered by Eric's rudeness towards her, I was glad that he had made that threat as I didn't want my relationship with Eric known throughout the whole building. I didn't look back to see if she was watching me. Once out into the bright sunlight I trotted to my car and drove quickly out of the car park. Was I coming back? I had no idea. At that moment I didn't intend to.

I managed to stay in one piece for the hour long drive to Bon Temps by keeping the radio on and badly singing along with the songs on a local rock music station. However as soon as I arrived home the flood gates opened. I sank down into the couch and wrapped myself in the afghan that was a reminder of that day. I knew that Eric's apology was ten years overdue, but in one of the many arguments I'd had with Jason in the years following (before I stopped talking to him altogether) I established that Jason had told Eric not to come and apologise. I hated Jason so much for that, along with everything else, and I blamed him completely for what happened. Sure, Eric certainly played his part but Jason could have stopped it – he could have told Quinn 'no'.

And how did Eric not realise that I liked him? Every girl in Bon Temps was madly in love with him, even the ones he'd previously fucked and moved on from. Hearing him say that he did want me, it was just so confusing. Did he mean it? I'd have easily scoffed at him for saying that, but he had such sincerity in his eyes, sincerity I was fairly certain could not be faked.

Fuck it. What a mess.

I was regretting ever applying for a job at Northman Inc. There were other jobs I could have applied for in the area, and quite simply with the money I had in the bank from the sale of my business and the house I'd bought with Bill I could quite easily not work for at least a year. Was it on some sick subconscious level that I wanted to see him again? I had no idea. Maybe I needed to see a shrink.

After regaining my composure I called Sam to let him know that I'd gotten home okay. He was again annoyingly sympathetic to me and told me to take as long off as I needed to, an offer I again took him up on, saying that I'd see how I felt in a few days and get back to him. At least that way I had a few days to think things through. I was fairly certain that Eric wouldn't actually do anything about me telling him I'd quit.

I went into my room and changed into some lounge pants and a vest top and sank onto the sofa to watch reruns of _Friends_ that I'd probably seen many hundreds of times, but still found so amusing. I was interrupted by my phone ringing, Amelia's name and number showing on the screen.

"Hey Amelia."

"Oh hey Sooks, I was expecting your voicemail. Figured you'd be at work."

"I was, but I came home as I wasn't feeling well." I hadn't told Amelia about Eric Northman.

"Shit hun, you okay?

"Yeah, just a little sick and dizzy. Probably just a bug." I wasn't really sure why I was lying to Amelia considering she lived thousands of miles away on the West Coast, but I somehow felt the reason to keep up my falsehood.

"Sure you're not pregnant?" She asked jokingly.

I scoffed. "Yeah, chance would be a fine thing!" I hadn't been near a man since splitting from Bill.

"Girl, I've told you – you need to go out there and find yourself a man. Even if only for sex." If only she knew.

"Yeah, well, its not quite that simple. Tara's the only one I'm still in contact with back here, and I don't know my work colleagues well enough yet, though Lafayette seems like he might be good fun."

"For the sex part or going out?"

I laughed out loudly. "Certainly the going out part. He's as gay as they come, a complete queen. What is that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, I was going to ask if that offer to come and stay was still going."

"Sure it is, when would you think about coming? How long for?"

It would certainly be good to see Amelia, we always had great times together and we could chat for hours. I got on really well with her husband Tray as well, and he was very much like a brother to me. Certainly more than my real brother had been. They were both originally from Louisiana, Tray from Monroe in Northern Louisiana and Amelia from New Orleans. They'd been living in San Francisco since we graduated from Stanford together, Amelia working as a journalist and Tray for a small pharmaceutical company.

"Um, Wednesday. And we're moving back to Louisiana. We just need a place to stay until we can find our own place in Shreveport."

"What? Seriously? I thought you guys were happy in Cali?"

"Yeah, we are, but we also both miss home. And Tray's company have been relocated to Shreveport. Some company called Northman Industries has taken them over and moved them to Louisiana. We decided to take the relocation as it seemed like an ideal opportunity to come home. And I can pretty much work anywhere. I've got an interview with the Shreveport Times next week. I hope you don't mind, Sook, and sorry for the short notice. It got kind of sprung on us and we were certain that you wouldn't mind us staying."

Northman fucking Industries. Were there any pies that man didn't have fingers in?

"Of course I don't mind, and you are more than welcome to stay until you can find yourself your own place. You can one of the rooms upstairs, there's plenty of space. And at least that way I can put some distance between us, there's no way I want to listen again to the wild monkey sex the two of you have!"

"You're just jealous that Asshole could never give your orgasms like Tray can give me. You know he really does have talented …"

"Okay, stop right there! I really don't want to know!" Amelia had very rarely called Bill by his name and always referred to him as Asshole, even before we split up.

She was right though, my sex life with Bill had never been that spectacular and I more often than not had to finish myself off as he was somewhat of a selfish lover. Maybe if I hadn't been spoilt by Eric…

"Anyways, our plane gets into Shreveport at three in the afternoon and then the rest of our stuff will be shipped over and put into storage until we need it."

"You have my address?"

"Yup. We've rented an SUV until we can buy one ourselves so we'll make our own way from the airport. Sooks, you really are a star, thank you so much."

"That's okay – it'll be great to have some company and there's plenty of room in this house."

"Coolio. I'd better go as I still have tons of packing to do. Hope you feel better soon hun, we'll see you on Wednesday."

We both hung up. I genuinely was excited about having Amelia and Tray coming to stay. They were a huge laugh and had both helped me when I left Bill, though neither were huge fans of him in the first place so hating him was natural for them both.

I spent the rest of the day and the next day cleaning the house for my soon-to-be arriving guests. I aired out the rooms upstairs, tidied away the junk I'd stored in those rooms up into the attic, cooked a few meals and stowed them in the freezer, and finally set up the room with clean linens and towels. The cleaning kept my mind busy and both nights I collapsed from exhaustion into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke on Wednesday morning I had nothing much left to do. I went to the store to pick up some essentials, but other than that there was nothing to do but wait for Amelia and Tray to arrive – at least they would keep me busy.

But I needed to make a decision on what to do about my job. Should I speak to Eric again? Maybe explain that I didn't really want to quit, but that I'd prefer it if he just left me alone to do my job? And would he even do that? Eric was persistent if nothing else and certainly stubborn. Or should I just leave?

But then I knew I couldn't avoid Eric altogether since I'd moved back to Bon Temps. He was the most successful businessman and somewhat of a local celebrity. Everyone knew who Eric Northman was. And if Amelia was staying here then she'd no doubt want to hit the town, and then I was in real danger of running into him.

But what did Eric want? When he called me into this office it seemed the reason was that he wanted to know how much I'd overheard of his phone call. He obviously did have some other issues, but it wasn't me as I'd initially thought. What did he want from me? I'd told him that I'd never forgive him and I stood by that, so really there was no where else to go. At the very most I was prepared to accept acquaintances.

The fact was, deep down, I knew this whole mess was at least partly my fault. Sure Eric took advantage of me, and had been set up in the first place to have sex with me. But I knew what he was like, I should have known he was there to seduce me and I had plenty of opportunities to say no. I was certain that Eric would not have forced me. Hell, even when he just happened to have a condom in his back pocket I knew that something was off, but I just wanted him too much. That, he couldn't be blamed for.

In essence it was a one night stand, albeit somewhat premeditated on Eric's part, and I had had the best sex of my life. I was certain that most girls could not say that the best sex of their lives was when they lost their virginity. Though maybe that was more of a reflection on Bill's inadequacies in that department. I couldn't stop my mind from wondering what he would be like now with ten years more experience under his belt …

Gah! I was no closer to a decision, and I was almost considering writing lists for the reasons for and against working for Eric. I ate a small lunch and then sank down onto the couch and flicked through the channels stopping on a rerun of _Charmed_ and I watched a few episodes.

I must have fallen asleep as I was woken by the sound of hammering at the front door as it reverberated through the house. I checked the time to see that it was five, so obviously Amelia and Tray. I opened the door and Amelia bounced into the room.

"Sookie!" She yelled as she wrapped her arms tightly around me as I staggered back slightly.

"Meals, give the girl some room to breathe!" Tray scolded and Amelia loosened her grip on my neck and stepped back slightly.

"It's so good to see you Sook, and thank you so much for letting us stay. I know its major late notice and everything, but I guess I knew you'd pull through for us and if push came to shove we could have found somewhere else."

"I told you that the company said they'd put us up..." Tray tried to point out.

"Rubbish. I'd much rather stay with Sookie than in some crappy corporate apartment."

"Yeah, but we are imposing on Sookie's hospitality …"

"She doesn't mind!" Amelia snapped at him. "And anyway, she stayed with us …"

"That's different, she'd just split from Asshole and needed a place to stay. _We_ had options."

It was beginning to look like they may well kill each other so I stepped between them. "Look, you two, it's fine that you're here. I'm genuinely really pleased you've chosen to stay with me and I really do appreciate what you guys did when I split from Asshole. Honestly, its been kind of lonely here so I am actually grateful that you're staying."

"We'll pay our way though." Tray pointed out.

"Damn straight you will considering the amount you eat!" I gave Amelia a hug. "Now, let me show you around and then you can bring your stuff in."

I showed them around the downstairs of the house before taking them up to what would be their room. They both seemed happy enough and started brining their bags and belongings into the house. I'd told Amelia to put all her kitchen equipment into storage as I had more than enough that I'd inherited from Gran, but Amelia did come armed with a huge box of cleaning supplies. I shouldn't have been surprised, Amelia was nothing if not a clean freak. At least one upshot of her staying with me would be that my house would be cleaner than when she left than when she arrived, and it was pretty damn clean before.

I let Amelia and Tray settle in while I prepared a meal for the three of us. I heard Tray shout that he was going to grab a shower while Amelia continued to put stuff away, no doubt cleaning as she went along. While I was happy in my own world I was startled by my doorbell ringing. I was certain that it wouldn't be Tara as she knew to come around the back, but I couldn't really think of who else it would be. A cold shiver ran down my spine when I considered alternatives.

The bell rang again, twice, and I took a deep breath before walking to the door and opening it. I was relieved to see that it was Lafayette (and not Eric). He was out of his work clothes and wearing a very tight white vest top, tight black trousers that left nothing to the imagination and flip flops. He also had a black head scarf on.

"Lafayette! What the hell are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?"

"I have my methods, baby girl. Now are you going to invite me or do I need it in writing. And who the hell is that hunk of meat?"

I looked behind me to see Tray shirtless and standing in the hallway, his t-shirt in his hand. Lafayette pushed past me and approached a very shocked looking Tray as he pulled his shirt on.

"Hi, gorgeous, I'm Lafayette Reynolds. Can I have the pleasure?" He lingered over the word pleasure and Tray's discomfort increased.

"Um … uh … Tray." He stepped back and held out his hand for a manly handshake, which Lafayette ignored and brought it to his lips.

"Get the hell away from my husband!" Amelia jokingly yelled from down the hall. Tray looked positively relieved at the sight of his wife and went to stand behind her, almost cowering. I was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"And you are?" Lafayette asked.

"Amelia Broadway. This is my husband Tray Dawson." Amelia had refused to take Tray's surname when they married a few years earlier, her argument being that if she hadn't taken her father's surname (Carmichael) then she certainly wasn't going to take Tray's. "And I'm guessing that you must be Lafayette."

"Oh, I see I'm famous already. I think you and I are going to be great friends." He gave her a brief hug. I had a feeling that he would be right, I could see Amelia and Laf causing no end of trouble together. "So how do you two bitches know each other?"

"Oh, we go way back." Amelia answered. "Sookie, Tray and I all went to Stanford together."

"Really, so smart and good looking." He was addressing Tray again.

"Tray, do you want to help me get dinner ready?" He shot me a relieved look. "Lafayette, you're welcome to stay, I've made plenty – it's lasagne."

"Sookie girl, that would be fantastic. It's always good to know a girl that can cook."

"I'll agree with that. That's one thing I'll enjoy about being here!" Tray quipped and dodged out of the way of Amelia as she went to slap him. Amelia was a truly appalling cook and had had many a disaster in the kitchen.

Tray followed me into the kitchen and started laying the table and placing the dressed salad into the centre. He looked into the fridge and pulled out various sauces and dressings as I pulled the garlic bread and lasagne out of the oven. I grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge and placed four glasses onto the table. Once I'd dished up I called Amelia and Lafayette into the kitchen who were both giggling like school girls and acting like they'd known each other for years. Tray shot a look at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't you role your eyes at me missy." Lafayette scolded and I stuck my tongue at him.

"Shit, Sook, this is really good." Tray had almost finished off his plate before any of the rest of us had made a dent on our dinner. I had no idea where he put it all.

"Well there's plenty more, so go help yourself."

After taking a few mouthfuls of dinner Lafayette very deliberately put down his fork and turned to Amelia. "So Ms Broadway, if you know our Sooks so well, do tell me all about Eric Northman."

I almost chocked on my salad. I had a bad feeling that was why Lafayette had turned up on my doorstep.

It was Tray that spoke first, however. "Eric Northman, as in Northman Industries? You know him?"

"Apparently she does." Laf answered for me. "But the bitch won't tell me anything more." He turned back to face Amelia, pointing his fork and looking expectantly at her.

"Don't ask me. I'd never heard of the name until they took over Tray's business and relocated us to Shreveport. Why? What's going on?"

Everyone was looking at me obviously expecting some kind of answer. "Look, as I explained to Lafayette, I knew Eric Northman growing up. That's it. There's very little more to tell." I stuck my head down and piled food into my mouth, hoping and praying that that particular strain of conversation would end. I was a very bad liar.

"Well you told me that he was a friend of your brother's."

Amelia narrowed her eyes at me. "Well she hasn't spoken to her brother in years, and has hated him ever since I knew her."

"And why is that then?"

"I don't know, she never would tell me."

"I am sitting here you know!" I snapped without thinking.

"Well tell us, Miss Sookie. How do you know Eric Northman?"

I got up from the table and walked with my plate over to the sink. I suddenly wasn't feeling very hungry.

"Sook," Amelia started in a softer voice. "You can tell us, it won't leave this room. Will it?" she added, obviously making a point to Lafayette.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

"I can tell its upsetting you hun, do you want to talk about it?"

I turned back to them. "Honestly? No, I don't want to talk about it."

I picked up my glass of wine on the table and drained it. I wished I had thought to buy more.

"Well," Lafayette started and I already knew it would be bad, "would you mind telling us why your car didn't leave the car park until twenty minutes after you left the office on Monday?"

What the fuck? "How the fuck do you know that?"

"I told you, I have my methods. Are you going to answer me?"

"I was in the ladies throwing up, if you must know." I stared him down and I was hoping that that particular lie was more convincing than my others.

"Really." He stated. I knew he didn't believe me. "Okay, so what about the fact that all of a sudden the whole marekting department is going through a major shake-up and they're going to offer you a position as account manager. You sure you're not fucking the boss?"

"I am quite sure that I am not fucking Eric Northman." At least that wasn't a lie. "And what do you mean? What's gone on?"

"Well it seems that Damon Cataliades, the CMO, has decided to restructure the department, and more roles have been created. The big man has seen your résumé and wants to promote you. Of course I'm not meant to know all this, but I may have heard Sam and him talking in Sam's office."

I was stunned into silence. Was this Eric's doing? I had no idea how much interest he took in the business, but would he restructure a whole department just to get me a promotion? It was an extreme way of saying sorry. I was still half tempted to quit my job, but then this would be a great opportunity and probably a substantial pay rise.

"Are you back tomorrow?" Lafayette asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Um, yeah. I'm feeling much better now."

"I can tell." He tone was sardonic.

"So let me get this straight," Amelia began and I begged her silently to be quiet. "Sookie knows this Eric Northman guy from high school and he's a friend of her brother's who she's hardly spoken to for a decade, and now she works for him, but you think there's something more?" She addressed Lafayette.

"Oh I know there's something more. Someone just won't tell me."

I was getting a little annoyed. "Look, can you not just accept that there are some things that I'd rather not were in the open? I'm not going to say any more on the matter and I'd be grateful if you both just shut the fuck up about it."

I walked out of the kitchen and onto the porch enjoying the cooler night air. I walked further away from the house and found myself wandering towards the cemetery next to the house. Without thinking I found myself at Gran's headstone and I brushed away some of the dust and fallen leaves from her grave. I said a silent prayer to myself as I knelt by her graveside and then stood up to leave, patting her memorial as I left. I wondered a bit further into the graveyard, not really paying much attention to where I was going when I came across a much more expensive looking crypt, one than had never been there when I was a child growing up. And kneeling at the steps was none other than the broad shoulders and blonde head of Eric Northman.


	7. Chapter 7

I couldn't believe that he was there and I really didn't want to speak to him at that moment. Luckily he hadn't heard me coming so I planned on making a hasty retreat before I was spotted, however my plan was ruined by me stepping on a twig as I backed away.

"Sookie?" he asked as her turned around, his surprise evident on his face. He stood up and it became evident that he was visiting his parents graves. I had no idea that they'd been buried here.

"Hi," I stuttered. "I was just leaving." I started to turn and leave, but I turned back to face him again, somehow unable to leave. "I was sorry to learn of the death of your parents." I did mean that, I knew from personal experience what it was like to lose both parents. I'd lost mine when I was only seven years old and more recently my Gran who had been like my surrogate mother since my parents deaths.

"Thank you. I was sorry to learn of your Gran's passing – she was a great lady."

He was looking at me with an intensity that I had never known and I could not work out what he was thinking based on his expression. I desperately wanted to leave, but I was also rooted to the spot, as if my mind and body were having some massive battle between them.

"She was. I just wish I had spent more time with her before she died."

"I'm sorry, Sookie. I know that I'm at least partly to blame for you not coming back to Louisiana. I don't …" I actually felt quite bad that Eric was apologising for that.

"No," I interrupted, "it's not your fault. I should have made more effort. My ex-husband never wanted to come to Louisiana, he said that everything was backwards down here. I think he only came to Louisiana twice in the whole eight plus years we were together."

"He's an asshole. He obviously didn't deserve you."

I didn't know what to say, but still I could not move from the spot I was stood.

"You're feeling better I hope?"

I almost had to think for a few seconds about what he meant, but hopefully recovered my composure. "Um, yeah, thanks. I'll be back at work tomorrow."

He smiled. "Funny, I thought you told me you quit?" He had a devilish smile on his face which only made him look more handsome.

"I was pissed off at the time and I was hoping you wouldn't act on my resignation. I do want the job, I just think it might be best if we avoid each other."

I saw a glimpse of hurt cross his face before he composed himself and regained his mask. "I understand that. You'll be pleased to know that Damon Cataliades has reorganised the department and he's seen your file. He knows how talented you are."

"And you wouldn't have anything to do with this?"

He smiled again. "I've restructured most departments since taking over as CEO, marketing was one of the ones I hadn't and I was certain it could be improved. Damon came across your file all on his own." The look on Eric's face told me that he probably had a push in the right direction.

"Well, thank you for however little involvement you have with this." I looked down at my shoes nervously. "I should probably go, Lafayette and my friends are around for dinner and I only came out for some air." I wasn't going to tell him about what we were arguing over.

"That would be the same Lafayette you work with?" I nodded. "The same one that barged into my office and asked me what I'd done to you?"

Fuck. I would kill Lafayette for that if it wouldn't have given me away. "Shit, I haven't told him anything, I swear. He's just annoying perceptive and somehow knows that I didn't actually leave the office for twenty minutes on Monday."

"Yes, he told me that as well. It seems I may have a leak somewhere. It will be subtly looked into and plugged, I can assure you of that."

"Thanks. I'd better get back."

"I'll probably see you around, Sookie. And I'll say it again, I truly am sorry for the circumstances of what happened ten years ago. If I could go back I would have done things very differently when it came to you. I know how much I screwed up."

I was stunned into silence as Eric turned and headed in the direction of his parents former home. He was sorry for the circumstances; he would have done things differently. What he wasn't saying was that he regretted having sex with me.

Fuck. Why did he have to fuck with my head in this way? Just when I thought we may be able to avoid the elephant in the room, he goes and brings it up and then leaves.

It was certainly strange meeting him in the cemetery after all this time – of all the placed outside of Northman Inc. to meet, it would be right here. I heard Amelia call to be in the distance and I started to head through the trees towards home. I wasn't really paying too much attention to exactly where I was heading, and somehow found myself in the spot of our fornication.

It was much more overgrown that I remembered, although the light was fading fast and it was quite hard to see properly. I found myself wondering how many other girls Eric had brought to this spot, both before and after me, and was surprised by the pang of jealousy that swept through me. Hearing Amelia again I walked through the trees and into the open to find Amelia, Tray and Lafayette looking concerned.

"Shit hun, where did you go?" Amelia ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me. "We're sorry, okay. We get that you don't want to talk about it and we promise we won't bring it up. But if you ever do …"

I cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know where to come. Thanks, but I just went to see Gran. I really miss her."

"I know. I'm sorry that Asshole never let you come back here."

I scoffed. "I should have left him years ago. What was I thinking Meals?"

"I have no idea. I _always_ hated the fucker!"

We all walked back inside, but my mind was replaying my conversation with Eric, and quite simply it was driving me crazy.

"So," Lafayette started once we were sat down, "Hows about on Friday the four of us hit the town in Shreveport?" He turned to Amelia who squealed loudly.

"Count us in. Sooks, you up for that? I think you need a good night out."

She was probably right. "What about Arlene, is she coming?"

"No, the bitch has a date with some hick called Rene. You're lucky you haven't been at work this week, she's been unbearable." He turned to Amelia to fill in some of the back story. "Arlene has already been married three times and she's always on the look out for her fourth victim. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed, and honestly I have no idea how she's managed to work at Northman Inc. I think I must have been carrying her!"

"That sounds great, Laf, we'll definitely be there."

"Good good. I suppose its about time I let y'all get your beauty sleep. See you tomorrow Sooks." He got up, kissed each one of us on the top of our heads and sauntered out of the door as Amelia and I laughed at Tray's reaction.

"I'm thinking that maybe you two ladies should go out alone …"

Amelia got up and sat in his lap, placing her finger over his lips. "No, you're coming with us. But don't worry baby, I'll protect you from the big bad man!" She kissed him softly on the lips and they rested their heads together. When they started kissing more deeply I took the opportunity to leave and clean up in the kitchen since I didn't want to witness their make-out session.

.

I'd always been jealous of the passion that Amelia and Tray shared for each other. She'd married him despite he father cutting off her trust fund as he considered Tray to not be good enough for her. Copley Carmichael was a wealthy man, certainly up there with the Northmans in terms of wealth in Louisiana. Well Northman, I guess I should say now. But Amelia loved Tray enough to not be remotely concerned by her father's threats and she took a job instead. She's actually a great journalist and reporter, and the pair of them have always been genuinely happy.

I never had that with Bill. I arrived in California a few short months after everything had kicked off with Eric, and I'd been feeling positively worthless, and if I was honest quite depressed. I had very little self confidence in myself and I struggled initially to make friends. But Amelia was persistent and her enthusiasm for life soon started to rub off on me and we became firm friends. It was about six months into my first year that I met Bill.

He was a computer science major and obviously very smart. He was from Seattle and came from old money. He was certainly good looking, he had dark brown, almost black hair, dark brown eyes and pale skin from spending too much time inside over his computer. The attention he paid to me was subtle at first. The few guys that had approached me before him were much more open and flirty and seemed to me that they just wanted to get me into bed. And after what happened with Eric, that was one thing that was not going to happen.

After getting to know him a bit he started taking me out on dates: we'd go to the cinema, or out for a meal, or to some exhibition or the theatre. Over time I became more and more comfortable with him and I was genuinely grateful that he didn't push me into sex. Our first proper kiss (other than a peck on the cheek) didn't come until after a month of dating, and it was a few months after that that anything further happened. I found out later that he assumed me to be a virgin, and he actually liked the fact that I had been untouched. I never set him right.

I was happy with Bill, contented, yet I think I always knew that something wasn't quite right. I knew for certain that he loved me but he had a very old fashioned view. He was dead against me starting up my own business and seemed to want me to be a housewife and mother to his children. But I wasn't going to have studied hard for my MBA to not use it, so that was one argument I did push him on.

But I was always aware that the certain spark wasn't there. Our lovemaking sessions were tedious and he was a selfish lover, only ever really being concerned about his own pleasure. He even tried to convince me that the female orgasm was a myth. But boy did I know that that was a complete lie.

We married the summer after we both graduated from Stanford. His parents spent a lot of money on the wedding, but refused to listen when I said that I wanted to marry in Louisiana. That was not an option for the Comptons and their precious son. We flew Gran up for the wedding and she stayed with Bill's parents, but it was plainly obvious that she was not comfortable there. Much to Bill's disgust, Amelia was my maid of honour with some of Bill's cousins as bridesmaids, and I would never have been able to get through it without her.

Amelia had been trying to set me up with other men for the whole time that I was dating Bill, and even quite a few after we were married. I only wish that I'd seen Bill for the idiot that she did. I found myself wondering what she would think of Eric if she ever met him. Though thinking of that I made a conscious decision to keep her away from him. Which of course may not be so easy considering Tray was now an employee of Eric's as well.

.

After finishing the cleaning I stuck my head into the living room to see that Amelia was now lying on top of Tray and there was a good likelihood that clothes were going to be removed.

"Get a room, you two. I put you upstairs for a reason! Night kids."

I didn't wait for an answer but simply went to my own room and got ready for bed. After washing my face and brushing my teeth I set my alarm for work hours and read a few chapters of _The Crow Road_ before falling asleep.

I awoke a few minutes before my alarm as I always had done and dragged myself into my shower. In some ways I was actually quite glad I'd bumped into Eric the previous night and cleared the air somewhat, as I was fairly sure that I'd be nervous as hell going to work with the risk of seeing him. I dried my hair, put on a little light make-up and my favourite skirt and blouse combo with three inch high stilettos.

I shouted goodbye to Amelia and Tray after gorging myself on coffee and toast and ran out of the house for the hour long drive to Shreveport. I knew, however, that Amelia and Tray would not have heard me so I did leave them a brief note to make themselves comfortable but to lock up if they left the house. There may be a low crime rate around Bon Temps, but didn't mean I would ever leave my house unlocked.

I got to work about a quarter of an hour early, parking again in my customary place and I walked into the building. I even managed a smile at Blondie at reception before heading into the elevator. I got to my desk and turned on my PC, stowing my bag in the large drawer of the desk. I saw that Sam was already in his office so I popped my head in to speak to him.

"Oh hey, Sookie, are you feeling better? You certainly look much better."

"I am, thank you. And thanks for being so understanding considering I've only been here a week."

"That's okay, Sookie. Look, have a seat, there's something I want to talk to you about."

Sam went on to (officially) tell me that the Marketing department was having a reshuffle and more account manager positions were opening up for those with experience in the role. Sam pointed out that Damon himself had seen my résumé and suggested I was better suited for one of these roles rather than a marketing assistant. I tried to look as surprised as I could and was genuinely grateful for the opportunity.

I spent the rest of that day and the next in meetings with Sam, Damon and some of the other account managers, and I was due to start in my new role the following week. I was really quite amazed at what had happened in the previous two weeks – going from a marketing assistant to account manager and seeing Eric again for the first, second and third times in ten years.

After I'd finished a tiring day, Lafayette and I wished Arlene all the best for her date while I went with Lafayette back to his place. Amelia and Tray joined us not long afterwards and we all started getting ready for a night out together, drinking cheap wine as we all tarted ourselves up, none more so than Lafayette.

I'd chosen to go it simple and I pulled on a bright red wrap around knee-length dress with matching pumps and minimal jewellery. Amelia was in a tight and short black dress which left nothing to the imagination and a pair of gorgeous killer turquoise stilettos that I was seriously considering kidnapping. Tray was in a black t-shirt and jeans, but Lafayette had gone all out with tight black leather trousers over biker boots, a tight flowery shirt and gold jewellery. He had on a plain bandana over his head to complete the look. I wasn't sure that anyone else on the planet would be able to pull the look off, but Lafayette somehow did.

We took Tray's car to Fantasia as after drawing lots he'd been given the role of designated driver, but Amelia and I both had to promise that we would take our turns when we next went out. I think we were both plotting ways of making Tray drive again. The bar wasn't too busy when we got there so we slipped into one of the booths and ordered a round of a drinks along with a shot for each of us.

It was Lafayette who made the toast: "To Sookie Stackhouse for her rise to the top in two short weeks." His words were somewhat loaded, but I ignored him and swallowed my shot with the rest of them.

Tray and Amelia entertained Laf and I with tails of the adventures they'd got up to since moving to San Francisco and I think Laf was almost annoyed that they didn't live there any more. After a few gin and tonics had slipped my lips I began to loosen up and enjoy myself, the four of us dancing together; Amelia and I deliberately leaving Laf and Tray together whenever possible as his uncomfortableness was just too amusing.

We were returning to our table when a tall, dark haired man approached Tray and pulled him into a manly hug.

"Tray Dawson. I never thought I'd see you around these parts again. I thought you escaped to the West Coast?"

"I did, but our business was taken over and we were moved back East. How are you man?"

"I'm good. Are you going to introduce me to these lovely ladies?" His eyes were fixed on mine and I felt almost hypnotised.

"Alcide, this is my wife Amelia Broadway – don't ask – our good friend Sookie Stackhouse and Sookie's work colleague Lafayette Reynolds. Guys, this is an old school friend of mine, Alcide Herveaux." He was tall, possibly even taller than Eric and had dark messy hair, brown eyes and a day or two worth of stubble. He had a deep tan that portrayed someone who worked outside a lot of the time but he had a kind face. And oh yeah, a body that looked rock hard.

"Stackhouse? You any relation to Jason?"

My blood went cold even though I was lost in his dark brown eyes. "Um, yeah, he was my brother."

"Was? Shit, sorry, has he passed away?" Alcide looked mortified.

"No, no!" I put my hand subconsciously on his arm. "He's not dead. Well, as far as I know he's not dead, but I haven't seen or spoken to him for years. As far as I'm concerned I don't have a brother."

"That's good. I mean, it's not good, but he's not dead at least."

He was rambling and it was endearing in such a big guy. Eric didn't ramble. He was predominately cool, calm and collected. I smiled at him.

"How do you know him?"

"Well I own a construction company here in Shreveport and I'd had a few run ins with him. Now that I know you guys aren't close I don't mind telling you that he tried to rip me off a few times and sell me dodgy goods. As far as I know he's down in New Orleans now, no doubt scamming the folks down there."

"Yeah, that sounds like my brother!"

It turned out that Alcide was here on his own as his cousin had to cancel at the last minute so he came and sat with us. I found him very easy to talk to and we certainly had a natural chemistry. I was quite aware that he was flirting with me and I was unconsciously flirting back, Amelia and Lafayette grinning at me whenever I looked over to them.

After a while and a few more drinks Alcide invited me to dance with him, which I gladly took him up on. We were dancing fairly close to each other, his hands on my hips as I breathed in his manly scent. His body was hard and warm against mine and as we got closer I could feel his obvious arousal straining against his jeans.

I felt a little uncomfortable as I hadn't been in such a position for a very long time, but I simply pulled back a little and continued to dance to the music so I didn't lead him on. I was flattered to have such attention from this man, though I knew nothing of him other than he was an old friend of Tray's, and I wanted to get to know him a little before I went too far down that route. I had every intention of swapping phone numbers with him, and when my feet began to kill me I took his hand to lead him off the dance floor and back to the booth where the others were still sat.

I was stopped in my tracks by Pam Ravenscroft staring right at me. After my brief hesitation I tried to avoid her but she stopped me.

"Sookie Stackhouse. It's been a while." She looked me up and down a few times, her eyes seemingly devouring me. She looked quickly over to Alcide but turned her nose up at him. "How are you, Sookie?" she asked, her eyebrow hitching as she did.

"Um, fine thanks, Pam. I hope you're good?" I tried to say it in a friendly tone, hoping that she'd allow me to leave.

"I've been better." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and all the reasons I never liked her at high school came flooding back to me. "Who is this?" She hitched her thumb in Alcide's direction but didn't move her gaze from me.

"Um, this is Alcide Herveaux, he's a friend of my housemate."

She finally turned to him. "Herveaux. As in Herveaux Construction I suppose?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "So I'm guessing you're the one who fucked up the building of my brother's new home?"

I looked up at Alcide in time to see him flinch and his gaze harden. "You're Eric Northman's sister?"

"I am, and don't you forget it. It was good to see you, Sookie."

She turned and span on her heel, her long straight blonde hair flicking around as she walked away pushing a few drunks out of her way as she stalked off in the opposite direction. Alcide turned to me.

"How do you know her? Do you know Eric Northman?" Shit, was there anyone here that didn't know him? I was at least glad this conversation was away from Amelia and Lafayette.

"Yeah, I went to school with them both. Pam is the same age as me and Eric was in Jason's class. I haven't really seen either of them for ten years, but I now work in marketing at Northman Inc."

"Well I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I fucking hate Eric Northman. He's been nothing but a pain in my side since I took over my father's business. He always demands that I do the work any him at cost price due to him wiping off my father's gambling debts a few years back."

The more I seemed to hear about Eric, the less I seemed to like him. Why would he try to almost ruin Alcide over a few hundred in gambling debts. I just hoped that Eric would avoid me as I'd asked him to, it would be better if I could just not see him. It was too confusing when I did see him.

I walked with Alcide back to our table, but my enthusiasm was waning as the tiredness and fatigue from a long day began to settle in. After exchanging numbers with Alcide we made our way back to Bon Temps, Amelia and I annoying Tray no end by singing loudly and out of tune to the songs on the radio.

By the time we reached home I was fit to drop and once I'd pulled my dress off I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

_And yes, I am very much imagining Joe Manganiello as Alcide. Yum!_

Thanks for your continued reviews.


	8. Chapter 8

_Please forgive any business inaccuracies in this chapter!_

_Thanks for all your reviews._

* * *

I awoke the next morning with a pounding headache from drinking too much the previous night. Although I'd managed to remove my dress I was still in my bra and panties and the former was severely digging in. I downed the glass of water that was by my bed and took a few aspirin to relieve my head. I then dragged myself into the shower and began to feel more human again.

Once out I roughly dried my hair and pulled on a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt – I wasn't sure I was in any state to face the world that day. I went out into the kitchen to find Tray sat at the table reading a newspaper.

"There's coffee in the pot – you look like you need it!"

I murmured something incoherent at him and went to make myself a large mug of coffee and a few slices of toast and peanut butter. Once the food and coffee were in my system I began to regain my entrance into the world of the living.

"Where's Amelia?" I wondered if she was still in bed and feeling as crap as I was.

"She's gone into Shreveport. Apparently she had a need to go shopping. She gets like that when she's hung over. I dread to think what the bill is going to be when she gets back!"

"You're a brave man, Tray"

He laughed. "Yeah, or completely stupid. One of them."

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I borrowed the arts section of the newspaper and flicked through.

"So, Sooks, you seemed to be getting on fairly well last night with Alcide. He was grilling me for info on you when you went to the ladies room."

"Oh really? What did you tell him?" I think I may have sounded a little too eager.

He smirked at me. "Just that you were single and very much in a need of a man to show you a good time as your ex was crap in bed."

I could feel myself blush from the roots of my hair to my toes. "You did not!" I almost yelled.

"You're right, I didn't." I swatted him, playfully, "but I did tell him you were a good friend who'd split from their asshole ex-husband who'd been cheating on you and had recently moved back home. Alcide's a good guy. He's maybe had a little bad luck on the women front in the past, but he's single and he's certainly interested in you. He told me that he'd probably call you today and see if you were up for meeting him in the week. What do you think?"

"I think I could be up for that."

It was a long time since I'd been on a date, and the only man I had ever dated was Bill. There was no romance and flowers with Eric and I.

"Well, he'll probably call you later. I told him to give you time to lay since you were a little drunk!"

"Oh please tell me I did nothing embarrassing!" I was mortified. I didn't usually drink quite as much as I had the night before and I prayed that I hadn't done anything stupid, though I wasn't normally one to do stupid drunk things. Amelia on the other hand …

"No, well your singing in the car was pretty embarrassing but no one but me and Meals heard that, and quite simply she is worse than you. You were just a little sleepy and pretty much falling asleep at the table."

"Well that's not too bad …"

"On Alcide's shoulder."

"Oh god. Was I drooling?" I did have a tendency towards that when I was sleepy drunk.

"Not that I noticed. But being that he still wants to see you I don't think you've managed to scare him off."

"Well that's good at least. So you'd trust him and everything?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen much of him since I left Louisiana, but we've caught up when I've been back and he still seems a good guy. If he wasn't I can assure you I wouldn't be letting him anywhere near you. You're like a sister to Amelia and I, and you deserve much better than Asshole ever did for you."

"Thanks Tray. I see you like a brother as well."

And he really was. Tray had been much more like a brother than Jason had ever been to me, even before the whole thing with Eric. He'd always been much more interested in chasing after girls or his own good looks to care about me. Gran had told him off numerous times, but it had never sunk in. He'd moved into Gran's house as soon as he was eighteen and after that I saw very little of him other than when he came around for some of Gran's home cooked meals.

My parents both had had fairly substantial life insurance policies which had been held in Trust for Jason and I, each of us receiving half of the money on our eighteenth birthdays. Jason didn't take long to squander a lot of his away on fast cars and women, but did at least have some sense to put it towards college fees and setting up his own business.

I'd saved my half of the money, I'd gained a full scholarship to Stanford so I only needed the dip into the money every now and again. Bill had been very keen for me to invest in some computer company, which I did and I was aware that my money had grown substantially in size since my investment, but I left it where it was. I'd also gone in halves on the house that Bill and I had owned in Redmond, which we'd sold for a profit.

"So tell me Sook," Tray asked. "Who was the blonde you were talking to last night."

I'd been hoping that Amelia and Tray hadn't noticed. "She's called Pam Ravenscroft. She's Eric Northman's sister." I hoped that he wasn't going to bring up the whole Eric thing.

"She's married?"

"God no. She took her mother's name. A former model apparently, but I've heard that she's very much into women."

"It looked like it considering the way she was checking you out."

I choked on my coffee and felt the hot liquid run down my chin. "What?"

"Seriously, she was definitely checking you out."

Well that was just what I needed. Pam as well as her brother causing me problems. "Well she can be assured that I am very much not interested. Apart from the fact that I really don't swing that way, she was a complete bitch to me at school. It was odd, at first she did seem quite friendly, but I was never sure she was the type I wanted to be friends with. Her parents were incredibly wealthy and owned all sorts of businesses around Louisiana. Her and I were just too different. After that she just became a total bitch to my friend Tara and I."

"She looked that sort. What did she say to Alcide?"

I wasn't really sure if that information was confidential. "Oh, it was about some work that he'd done for her brother. She was just being a complete bitch."

"Okay. It just seemed a little odd from where I was sitting, what with her checking you out. And don't worry, Amelia was in no shape to notice!"

"Thanks. Um Tray, I was going to ask about why you guys moved over here so quickly. I thought take overs took time."

"They normally do, but the take over was somewhat out of the blue to most of us. I don't know the full details, but from the rumours I heard Northman Industries approached the owners of Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals with an offer than was too good to refuse. Northman laid down several rules and stipulations of the takeover and bullied them into selling up. We were a small research company, there were only thirty staff and Northman really didn't seem to give a shit about whether the staff moved to Louisiana or not, just wanted to know which ones of us would."

"What did he want then?"

"We'd been working on a new drug for brain tumours and had had some surprising success. I have no idea how Northman knew about what we were doing as our research was absolutely top secret, but it seems he wanted it and was prepared to pay over the odds for the company. It could be worth a fortune if our research pays off."

"So why would they sell? I don't understand why you would sell if you had something that good."

"Neither do I. I've heard rumours of all sorts of bribery and corruption and that there's a gagging order regarding the take-over so no one can talk about it. Northman hired the most expensive lawyers money can buy to manage the take-over. He offered us all incredible packages to move to Louisiana, and begrudgingly most of us have. But he'd bought the research and we're to continue our work but for him now."

"Why would you move considering what he's done? The man's a bully and high-handed. Wouldn't you rather see the research fail?"

"Sook, I'm a scientist. I strive for perfection and to improve life through my work. I can't let business matters get in the way. Northman's lucky that most of us feel this way regarding our research. If this works we really could save lives."

"I guess. I'm just thinking more and more that Eric Northman really is a complete fuckwad."

"I don't know what he did to you Sook, and I don't expect you to tell me, but knowing you, you must have a good reason to hate him, and that quite simply is enough for me to dislike the guy as well."

"Thanks Tray. You're a good friend."

My opinion of Eric was certainly getting worse with the more I heard about him. I knew that his various companies had been involved in acquisitions of other companies, but I guess before I'd never known anyone that worked for one of the companies or the shit that the takeover caused to the staff – not that I was complaining that Tray and Amelia had moved to Louisiana. I was beginning to consider leaving Northman Inc. again as I wasn't sure I wanted anything to do with a company or group of companies that seemed so unethical. Maybe I would speak to Eric, confront him on this. I decided in my mind that that was the thing to do. Someone needed to call Eric on his actions and I was the person to do it.

Tray and I spent the morning vegging in front of the TV until Amelia turned up around two in the afternoon laden with bags. I noticed Tray role his eyes as his wife entered the house.

"Sooks, come with me, I have to show you what I bought!"

Tray shot me a sympathetic look as I hauled myself on the couch and followed her upstairs. She opened her bags one by one to reveal a multitude of outfits with matching accessories and shoes, and a gorgeous new bag that I was considering stealing from her. I tried to protest when she showed me the lingerie she'd bought from a new French lingerie store I'd not seen before, but she insisted on showing me nonetheless. At least she didn't model it for me. Once she'd been through every bag she joined me on her bed.

"So Sookie, Alcide seemed like a good guy and certainly into you. And he's certainly hot!"

"That he is." I confessed.

"You guys were dancing pretty close." Amelia observed.

"We were."

"And the guy seems to have a good body …"

"It seems that way." I wasn't sure I liked what direction she was heading in.

"Did you feel anything from him?"

"What?"

"Poking you in the stomach, for example?"

"Amelia!" I was traumatised.

"What? Just asking. He just seemed very keen on you. You should go for it Sooks, give it a go. You deserve happiness and he's certainly hot. He's what you need, even for only one night."

We were luckily interrupted by my phone ringing, and as it was Alcide's number calling I excused myself from Amelia's keen ears and headed down into my room. We arranged to meet up for lunch on the Sunday for a late breakfast in Monroe where he lived.

Amelia spent the rest of the day bugging me for further details and I was beginning to get near the end of my tether when she finally did stop on Tray's advice. I didn't want to yell at her the same way as I had where Eric was concerned.

.

The next day I woke, showered and got ready for my date with Alcide. As it was a lunch date I wasn't going formal but pulled on my favourite yellow sun dress and a pair of heeled wedge sandals. I curled the ends of my hair and put on a little light make-up and I was ready to go.

I knew the place where I was meeting Alcide and when I got there he'd already reserved a booth for us. He kissed me gently on this cheek as we met, and he was clean shaven so his lips felt warm and smooth on my face.

"It's good to see you again, thanks for meeting me."

"That's quite okay, I was looking forward to seeing you again." I meant it as well.

"So how have you been? You weren't too ill yesterday? You looked like you'd had a bit to drink."

I felt my face flush. "I had a bit of a headache but I was fine. I'm not a huge drinker and I probably did drink a bit more than usual. I just get a bit sleepy when I've drunk too much. I'm sorry that I wasn't the greatest company."

"Oh, but I can assure you that you were. I just hope you didn't think I took advantage of you, asking for your number."

"I can assure you I already had plans on getting your number."

"That's good to know."

We spent the next two hours getting to know each other better, talking about out lives growing up, our families, my college life and his apprenticeship in his family's business, our favourite movies and music and our ambitions. I was quite surprised at how much we had in common and our time together went very quickly until he had to leave for a business meeting.

I went home feeling very good about myself and told Amelia about my date with Alcide when she came bursting into my room on my return. Both her and Tray seemed genuinely pleased for me and I was almost allowing myself to feel hopeful that something good might happen with him. He was certainly good looking and he seemed a genuinely good guy with his own business and we got on like old friends.

One thing I was determined to do was put Eric Northman behind me. I was willing to work for him and I hoped that he would honour my request to stay away from me. I knew that he was sorry for what happened between us, or at least sorry for the manner of the way it happened, but I didn't want to dwell on the past and I needed to move on with my life. There was no point me being still hung up on Eric as I wasn't going to let myself go there no matter how god damn attractive I found the man. It would just be so much easier if he wasn't so intoxicatingly good looking.

I made the decision on the Monday morning that I would have one final chat with Eric to make sure that we were on the same page. When we'd met in the cemetery that Wednesday night I couldn't help feel that he had somehow won the battle of wills between us, and I wasn't happy with that. I wanted to say my piece to him and he was going to listen to me.

I arrived bright and early at the office at eight am and I was actually quite surprised to see that the corvette was sat in its customary spot. The man was obviously dedicated to his job. I walked up to the blonde who I was also surprised to see in so early and she confirmed that Eric was in fact alone in his office. I simply smiled at her and walked to the private elevator, taking a taking breath of oxygen to calm my nerves. I was again glad that Eric had threatened her regarding disclosure of our meetings.

When I reached the top and exited into Eric's office, he was looking expectantly at me, obviously having been tipped off by the blonde.

"Sookie, what do I owe this pleasure? Please, take a seat."

He leaned back into his chair and clasped his hands behind his head in a move to obviously intimidate me. I sat on one of the leather chairs in front of him, his large dark wood desk separating us.

"I just wanted to say, Eric, once and for all, that we are not friends. I want you to tell your sister to leave me alone, and I want you to stop exploiting Alcide Herveaux. He told me that you make him work at cost price, and quite simply that is not right. And I also want to let you know how wrong I think it was for you to take over Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals in the way you did. Do you not think about that way you uproot the staff? I think you need to be more ethical, and …"

My well-rehearsed speech was interrupted by Eric's hand hitting his desk and causing me to jump. He looked like he was going to blow a fuse at any point, his face red with anger and his blue eyes blazing at me.

"Where the hell do you get off coming into my office and making those accusations of me? I appreciate that my sister can be a bitch, but from what she told me she said nothing rude to you. And while you may be willing to believe everything Alcide fucking Herveaux has to tell you while he's rubbing himself up against you on the dance floor of MY club, you obviously do not know all the facts."

"You own that place? Fuck, is there anything you don't own?" He didn't answer me but continued to glare at me. "And Alcide did tell me that you make him do it due to some gambling debt his father had, but seriously, there's no need to rip him off over a few hundred dollars."

Eric closed his eyes and took a measured breath to obviously contain his temper. "Alcide's father owed me $650,000 dollars when he took his own life a few years ago. I could have sued his estate for the money, but I made a deal with his son that he would work for me at cost price. He will not come close to repaying the debt his father owed, and so far he has done an appalling job. I narrowly missed being sued for millions for one of the fuck ups his company made. Did he tell you all this?" His tone was accusatory and biting, and all I could do was shake my head. "I thought not. You might want to make sure you get all the facts before you come walking into someone's office and go accusing them of unethical behaviour. You should know better than that, Sookie, you're a smart woman."

"I …"

"Don't. I'm not interested. And however you know about Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals I can again tell you that your facts are completely inaccurate. I was approached for the take over by them. Rasul knew I had personal interest in the type of work they were doing so he approached me to buy them out as the company needed a cash injection to continue their work. My only stipulation was that they finished the work that they'd started and moved to Shreveport so I could combine them with a company I already had here. The staff were consulted and they agreed to the take over and moving the work to Shreveport. I offered each one of them very generous deals for the relocation."

I wanted to shrink down into the chair and I began to feel the sting of tears at my eyes. Was he telling me the truth? I had a bad feeling he was considering quite how angry he was. And I did know better than to make accusations like I had. I was fully aware that if anyone other than Eric Northman was CEO of the company that I wouldn't ever dreamed of making such assumptions and accusations, so me saying them to Eric was unprofessional of me.

"Get out of my office, Sookie. You wanted us to avoid each other? Well I think that's a good idea."

He picked up his phone, dialled a number and started speaking in fast Swedish as soon as the phone connected. I assumed it was Pam. I looked at him for a moment longer but it was clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me, so I pulled myself out of the chair and left the room, looking back as I got to the elevator to see Eric with his back to me as he looked out of the window.

I was again considering quitting my job, and this time it was my own fault.


	9. Chapter 9

_Wow, that was quite some response to the last chapter and I love that some of you picked up my Pride & Prejudice reference (the 1995 BBC series is pure perfection - much better than then Ikea Knightley film!)_

_At the end of this chapter I reference Darren Aronofski's _The Fountain (2005)_. If you haven't seen it, you really should._

_Thanks for reading!_

* * *

**Eric**

"Thank you Bobby. If this works you will receive a healthy bonus."

"Oh thank you, Mr Northman, you are very kind." He sounded positively ecstatic to receive the praise. If the man wasn't so dedicated and damn good at his job I'd have got rid of him years ago, but he was a useful employee despite his annoyingness.

"Well lets just make sure it works first shall we?"

"Yes, Sir."

I hung up and turned to Pam who was looking at me expectantly. "Burnham has information on Sophie-Anne's brother Andre. If what he says is even close to the truth than she will not dare to speak out. Fight fire with fire has always been one of my favourite sayings." I winked at Pam.

"I didn't know she had a brother. And you're going to give him a 'healthy bonus' are you if it works? I'm sure dear Bobby will be coming in his pants in anticipation." She raised her eyebrow in a smirk. "Maybe you could spend that week with him instead of her. It would save you ten million dollars at least."

"Shut the fuck up, Pamela."

"Come on, Eric. You know that man is madly in love with you, its only fair. He's no doubt at home yanking one out over some photo he has of you. 'Oh Master, Oh Eric'."

I threw a cushion at her which she caught and threw back. "Stop. Right. There. I do not want to think about that!"

Bobby had worked for me for the four years since I'd taken over my father's businesses and he's worked for my father for ten years before that. He was married with a few kids as far as I knew, but Pam had always been convinced that he had some kind of infatuation with me. Something I found somewhat disturbing considering how much he knew about our family, but we had good lawyers and Burnham would never be able to speak out.

We didn't speak about Sookie further that night and I was intrigued to know whether Sookie would quit like she said she would. I noticed on the Tuesday morning that her car was not in the car park and I found from the personnel files that she was listed as being sick. Nevertheless I let Cataliades carry on with his restructure of the department and I was pleased when he reported back that he was intending on offering her a promotion. I tried to remain as impassive as I could, but the girl had again gotten under my skin.

I was still in the office at past six-thirty on the Wednesday evening when my phone rang. I recognised the number as Sophie-Anne's and immediately pulled out the documents Bobby had provided me with before answering the phone.

"Sophie-Anne. What an unexpected surprise, I thought you would have crawled back into a dark corner to shed your skin by now."

"Eric, I think you'll find we had a deal. I've told you what I want, and I expect the money in my bank account by Friday. We can make arrangements for our week together once I have the money. I am so much looking forward to seeing that amazing body of yours. I remember your taste so well."

I clasped my teeth together to remain calm and in control, but this woman was infuriating. "Sophie-Anne, I can assure you that no such deal was made. I seem to remember you threatening me a few times, but I have not and nor will I ever agree to such a thing."

"Well I guess I'll be contacting the press and telling them all about the reasons Felicia Twining died and Pam's involvement."

"I'm sure you will, but have you spoken to her father? I've known Senator Twining for quite a few years – he was an old friend of my father's – and I'm fairly certain that he'd be not too impressed about you telling the world the sordid details of his daughter's death that he's worked so hard to keep quiet." I was lying, I didn't know Twining, but then Sophie-Anne didn't need to know that.

She was quiet for a moment, obviously considering her actions. "Do you know what, Eric, I'm happy to take that risk. A week alone with you is worth the risk even without the ten million dollars. Did you say 'hi' to Pam for me? Though I don't think she ever liked me."

Sophie-Anne was quite right, Pam had an instant chemical hatred of Sophie-Anne, and I should have trusted Pam's instincts, not that I'd ever tell her that.

"You're right, she doesn't. But while we're on the theme of family, how's your brother?"

"I don't have a brother." She snapped immediately and not very convincingly.

I couldn't resist the smile on my face as I picked up the certificate in front of me. "Really? So I don't have a birth certificate in my hand for Andre David LeClerq, born 25 September 1975 in New Orleans to Fabienne and Pierre LeClerq. Aren't they your parents as well? I seem to remember Fabienne being quite fond of me." Her mother had been as creepy as her daughter.

The line was silent. "You still there?" I asked, echoing Sophie's words last time we spoke.

"Yes." Her voice was straining even on that one word.

"And where is Andre these days? I do find it odd that I was never told about him, and I thought we were such good friends?" Jeez, I was sounding like Pam!

"He's not around."

"No? So where is he? He's not in prison or anything is he? I mean that we just be awful. I couldn't think of anything worse. Well, except maybe that he was on death row. That would be terrible, wouldn't it Sophie-Anne?"

"How the fuck do you know this?"

I smiled again. Bobby was certainly getting a raise (of the monetary variety, anyway). "I have my sources, Ms LeClerq. And quite simply, it doesn't matter. Just know that if you ever say anything I will ruin you and I will ruin your father. You're likely to find that his kind of business associates will not take kindly to knowing of the murderer son. And in the manner he did it? That's just sick."

"Stop." I could hear sobs on the other end and almost had a twinge of guilt until I remembered that it was her that started all this. "What do you want?"

"What I want is to never hear from you again, I never want to see you again. I want you to stay out of my state and if ever so much as mention my name, Pam's name or anyone that is special to me to anyone then you will regret it. And I reserve the right to impose further restrictions on these terms. Do we have an understanding, Sophie-Anne?"

"Yes, Eric. Just know that I always loved you …."

I interrupted her. "I don't want to hear it. Goodbye, and do try not to fuck things up further." I hung up before she had chance to answer. I was aware that Pam and I had had a lucky escape there and it was a good job that her family obviously had more skeletons in their closets than mine did. I made a mental note to be more careful about who I dated or fucked from that point on. I wasn't going to let my healthy libido ruin everything that my father and I had worked towards.

I placed the copies of the paperwork I had made in the safe in my office and shut down my laptop. I had the copies Bobby had given me in my safe at home and he had two copies, one of which was in the company bank vault and the other he'd placed somewhere even I did not know where. I wasn't going to be too careful when it came to Sophie-Anne.

As I left the building I had a brief chat with the security guard and climbed into my corvette with the strange compulsion to go and visit my parents graves. It was not a journey I made often, and generally only visited them on birthdays, Christmas or anniversaries. But I was still feeling a little relieved about avoiding a few catastrophes recently, so I headed to Bon Temps.

I quickly headed to Bon Temps and pulled into the driveway of my childhood home. I deliberately chose not to look at Sookie's house as I drove past her driveway, but after getting of the car and wandering into the cemetery I found myself in the tree line that separated our properties and looking towards her house.

I wasn't sure what I felt, it was something I was not used to, but I was fairly certain I cared for her, that I wanted the best for her. I still wondered whether she would turn up at work again, and from what I'd managed to hear she hadn't formally handed in her notice – though maybe she did think that telling me she'd quit was enough?

I'd had an interesting ten minutes earlier that day when her work colleague, Lafayette Reynolds, flounced into my office and demanded to know what I'd done to Sookie. I was instantly angry that Sookie had said something to him, but it became evident that although he knew something had gone on between us, he didn't know exactly the details. He made all sorts of insinuations towards me and it was also evident that he somehow knew that Sookie had not left the office immediately. I didn't give him any further details, but it was clear he was trying to look out for Sookie so I resisted the urge of calling security and having him forcibly removed from the building. I didn't want to piss Sookie off any more than I already had.

I could see lights being turned on in her house as the sun began to dip behind the horizon and she obviously had company as there were two other cars in the driveway other than the little yellow one she drove. I found myself with the ridiculous notion of hoping that she was not seeing anyone. I wasn't used to being unsure when it came to women; I usually got what I wanted. But Sookie was an enigma – she was strong willed, stubborn and beautiful. And she had also been severely wronged by me in the past.

I walked quickly past the scene of our lovemaking ten years previous – it was somewhere I had not dared to go near in ten years – and on to the ornate crypt that had been built for my father, but for my mother to join him only months afterwards. I cleaned the fallen debris of the grave-site and knelt down and spoke to them both in turn, apologising for being away for so long and telling them of recent events. I'd never confessed to my parents what happened with Sookie, so I left out those details even then, but I did tell them of Sophie-Anne and how she'd tried to bribe Pam and I for millions of dollars. If my father had been alive I was certain he'd have done a very similar thing to me as he was known for being ruthless. I spoke to my mother in her native tongue of Swedish, something Pam and I had kept up and used to great effect when we wanted to talk to each other without people understanding us. There weren't too many people in America that spoke Swedish.

I was brought out of my musing by the sound of a twig cracking behind me and I was surprised to see Sookie stood there. She looked beautiful in the fading light wearing a pair of snug jeans and bright yellow t-shirt that highlighted her tan complexion and blonde hair that was still a perfect match for mine.

She initially looked like she was just going to leave, and to be quite honest I too thought about leaving considering what had been said between the two of us days before. But instead she said she was sorry to hear of the death of my parents, and I said likewise about her Gran. I'd always been fond of Adele Stackhouse and she'd always been kind to me when I used to come over. I hated to think what she'd have said to me if Sookie had ever told her about what I did.

Sookie said that she regretted not spending more time with her and a jolt if guilt shot though me. Was this my fault? Was I part of the reason that she didn't come back to Bon Temps? She interrupted my apology telling me that her asshole ex-husband had never wanted to come to Louisiana. The man was obviously an idiot if he didn't realise how great Sookie was. She looked a little stunned when I told her that.

It led to an awkward silence between us, but neither of us could move from the spot and I could not have pulled my eyes away from her if Angelina Jolie had walked past me naked. I broke the silence by asking whether she was feeling better. Of course I knew that she had not really been off sick from work, but it broke the tension when she admitted she was going back to work.

I couldn't resist teasing her by saying I thought she'd quit, but she responded that she was pissed off at the time. And then she said we should avoid each other. I felt like a stake had been driven into my heart and I don't think I did a very good job of hiding my pain. Instead I changed the subject by telling her about the marketing reshuffle and she thanked me for my involvement, obviously knowing that I had more to do with it than I was letting on.

She admitted that she had some friends around for dinner which included Lafayette and I told her of our meeting earlier that day, for which she apologised but swore that she had not told him anything. As I had her in front of me alone I again took the opportunity to apologise to her, but not to apologise for the act itself. I was only sorry for the way it happened, not what actually happened. If I could have gone back I would have done things differently and I'd have treated her with the respect the she deserved. Who knows where either of us would be if that had happened. I'd allowed myself to indulge that fantasy a few times, but I knew it was unhealthy.

Once I said my piece I turned and left her standing there, again feeling her gaze on my back as I walked away from her. I was painfully aware of quite how ironic it was for the pair of us to meet up again ten years later in the cemetery between our houses and I wondered whether she was thinking the same.

When I got back to my car I jumped in and sped back to Shreveport, welcoming the raw speed to let off a little steam. When I got home I jumped into a hot shower, I was desperately trying to ignore my erection as I thought of Sookie, but gave in and roughly took myself in one hand, the other leaning against the cool shower wall as I dipped my head into the steaming water. It didn't take too long before I had shot my load onto the wall and I got out and dried off. I carried on working on my laptop, going through figures and answering emails until the early hours of the morning when sleep finally took hold of me.

I was aware that Sookie had come back to work on the Thursday although I stayed out of her way as she had requested. Instead I threw myself into working hard, either at work or home, and any spare time I had I was strenuously exercising to burn off the excess energy I seemed to be accumulating.

I always used to make time for dates on Friday or Saturday nights and I owned a few bars around Shreveport, my favourite being Fantasia, which I co-owned with Pam. I had met many an attractive girl at Fantasia and Pam had told me that I was quite the star attraction. She had even suggested that she raised one of the booths in the corner for me to sit in so I could survey the crowd. Obviously that idea did not sit well with me so I vetoed that one, but she continued to tease me mercilessly about it.

But now I had somehow lost all interest in going out to socialise and simply threw myself further into work. Pam had noticed the dramatic change in me over the week since Sookie came crashing back into my life, and I think that she was hoping I would pull out of it, but the woman was distracting me and I needed to keep myself busy from slipping further.

I was in my gym on Saturday morning when Pam let herself in. I slowed down the treadmill before stopping and Pam threw a towel at me. I noticed that she had a brown envelope in her hand but I didn't ask.

"Guess I who I saw last night at Fantasia?"

I was hoping she wasn't going to say Sookie. I shrugged.

"Sookie." I tried to look impassive but obviously failed. "She was there with some friends I did not recognise."

"That's fascinating Pam, thank you." I turned to get back on the treadmill.

"And she was dancing with some guy." That had my attention, I turned back to her. "Well, when I say dancing I should probably say grinding herself into his obvious erection."

I felt the green eyed monster raise in me. "Who was he? Did you find out his name?"

"Of course brother, what do you take me for."

When she didn't provide further details I growled a "Tell me," at her.

She smiled an evil smile. "His name was Alcide Herveaux, I believe."

That was it, I lost it. I kicked over a weight-lifting bench and, looking for something to punch, I luckily went to the punchbag suspended between its two cables rather than damaging my hand on the wall. It still hurt like hell, however, considering I wasn't wearing my boxing gloves.

"Eric, stop it. You're acting like a child."

"Are you sure it was him?" She could have been mistaken, right? I wasn't aware that Pam had ever met Herveaux.

"Yes. Sookie told me herself."

"You spoke to her?"

"I did. And I have to say she was looking quite hot in the red dress she was wearing. She introduced me to Alcide Herveaux when I asked who her date was. I may have asked him if he was the Herveaux from Herveaux Construction that fucked up your house." Among other things. "But I wasn't rude to her, I promise." Her face had softened and she almost seemed to look at me sympathetically. She handed me the brown envelope.

"What's this?"

"If you open it, you may find out."

I ripped open the envelope and took out the A4 size photographs. There were shots that had obviously been taken from the clubs security cameras along with some other close-up shots of Sookie and Alcide dancing very close together. I shut my eyes tightly after looking at them.

"They're from my phone, she had no idea I was there." Pam paused obviously taking in my reaction. "I'm sorry, Eric, I shouldn't have told you. I don't mean to make things worse."

I walked over to the bench, picked it up the right way and sat down. I really had no idea why she was affecting me in this way, did I want to be with her? From the extreme reaction I had just shown in knowing that she had been out with another man I guessed that I probably did. But then that was never going to happen. It may have been ten years ago but Sookie would never forgive me for the way I treated her and I wasn't sure that I could ever forgive myself. She had also made it perfectly clear that she wanted us to avoid each other. That wasn't going to be very easy when she worked for me and turned up at my club.

"Eric, I think you need some time away. You have been working solidly for almost four years since Dad died, you're long overdue a break. The world isn't going to fall apart just because you have a few weeks off. Your exec team know your dedication to the business and no one is going to do anything stupid. I'm more than happy to represent you at any meetings, they may think I look like a dumb blonde but they'll soon learn not to try and take advantage of me."

Pam had always wasted her abilities. She was an incredibly smart woman with a good business brain, but had spent more partying and spending the family money then doing anything with her life. It had only been since the whole Felicia thing that she had done anything worthwhile. I had offered her numerous roles within the business and she'd always refused in the past. This was the first time she'd ever paid any interest in the business that she part owned.

"I'll take your comments under advisement." I simply replied. I put the photos back in the envelope to look at in more detail while Pam wasn't scrutinising me.

"I honestly think you should. You need to get her out of your system. I don't believe I'm actually going to say this, but you, dear brother, need to get laid. And not by her. You need to find some random hottie and fuck her hard."

She was probably right.

"I'm going to take a swim, I need to cool off. You're welcome to stay." I swung my towel over my shoulder and picked up the envelope to take with me.

"No thanks. I have a lunch date." I rolled my eyes at her and she came over to me and kissed me softly on the cheek. It was a very un-Pam-like gesture and I was surprised by her action. "Look after yourself, Eric, don't let her get to you. Its a completely fucked up situation that the two of you are in, but you'll only get burned if you try to pursue her. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Thanks Pam." I went to hug her but she escaped my grasp.

"You can get your sweaty self the hell away from me. Unless you want my dry-cleaning bill of course."

I smiled. "Pam, I already pay your dry-cleaning bill."

"Oh yeah, see you later bro." She span on her heels and left my gym.

I carried the envelope into the kitchen and placed it onto the counter to look at later and I went outside into the Louisiana heat to swim away my anger. After an hour and a half of swimming at a relentless pace I could swim no longer so I pulled myself out, dried and headed upstairs, picking up the envelope on my way. To relax I stripped off my shorts and turned on the sauna and sat in the blistering heat, my body finally relaxing. Once cooked, I jumped into a cold shower to cool off again. It wasn't quite the same as rolling around in snow, but it was a good as I was going to get in Northern Louisiana.

Once out I sat on my bed and fingered the envelope, slowly taking out the photographs that Pam had oh-so-kindly printed off for me. I wasn't sure if I'd rather not of known. Sookie looked incredible in that dress that hugged her every curve. However it wasn't slutty and came to her knee, her long shapely legs showing beneath and her equally red pumps. The pictures where she was dancing with Alcide were harder to take. He had pulled her close to his body with his hands on her hips. On the rest of the photos she was further away from him, but it was evident that he was attracted to her as she was him.

Jackson Herveaux had worked with my father for many years and they had a solid business relationship, but in the final five years of his life he began to drink and gamble heavily and lost a lot of money to rivals in the building trade who had taken advantage of his good nature and alcoholism. In one game he ended up 650,000 dollars in debt and was given twenty-four hours to pay up or they would send the bailiffs around. It would have ruined him and his family, and he came to my father for a loan, which he agreed to. I always thought my father was an idiot to agree, but he saved Herveaux senior from crippling debt.

Jackson Herveaux was whisked into a rehab centre and he spent the remaining years of his life in and out of detox programmes until he eventually took a gun to his own head. In the intervening time Alcide had taken over the business as his only son and since my own father had sadly passed I made a deal with Alcide whereby he would work for me at cost price. I considered this a very generous offer and Herveaux was keen to take me up on the offer. Yet Alcide was lazy and careless with the work that he did for me. He had a good reputation otherwise, but never treated my jobs with the dedication and care that he did the others. It made me not wish to use him, but then I imagined that was his plan. I had not quite decided what to do with him, and after seeing the pictures of him with Sookie I was even more confused. I did not wish to make Sookie dislike me further by causing Alcide trouble if they were to have a relationship, but then I also wished to destroy him for having her when I could not. I was torn, and I could admit that.

I spent the Sunday going through the figures ahead of the executive meeting on Monday afternoon and I arrived in the office at my customary seven o'clock on the Monday morning. I was alerted to someone's impending arrival when the elevator pinged and went downwards. As it ascended back up I closed my laptop and was surprised to see Sookie exit the elevator with a determined look on her face. I had a feeling that whatever she was going to say was not going to be good. I offered her a seat across my desk from me and I leaned back into my chair.

But what came out of her mouth truly did shock me. She started by telling me we weren't friends and to keep Pam away from her and then went on to accuse me exploiting Alcide Herveaux and accusing me of unethical behaviour regarding the takeover of Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals, although I had no idea how on earth she knew about that. With that I lost it and slammed my fist onto the desk which stopped her mid-sentence and caused her to jump.

I couldn't stop myself from yelling at her as first defended Pam's actions and then telling her she did not know the facts of the deal I had with Alcide. I may also have mentioned him rubbing himself on her in my club. She was surprised that I owned Fantasia but I did not take her bait. She told me she knew of the gambling debt, but mentioned 'a few hundred dollars'. I would have Alcide's skin if that is what he had told her.

I had to take a deep breath to control my anger as my urge to jump across the desk and take her against the wall was all to strong. Why was she doing this to me, and why did I still want her so much?

For some reason I explained myself to her, something I would not have done for anyone else. I told her the truth behind Jackson Herveaux's debts and how his son had nearly cost me a lot of money due to his fuck-ups. I told her she should make sure she had the facts correct before accusing me. I think she may have tried to apologise but I was not going to let her. I went on to tell her how I'd been approached by Rasul Clancy for the takeover as he'd run out of money, and as it was research I was personally interested in I was more than happy to take over the company and combine it with the pharmaceutical company I already owned in Shreveport.

The reason I had been so interested in that particular company was that the research they had been doing may have saved my mother's life. They were experimenting on a compound found in a rare Guatemalan tree that had had some amazing results in the initial trials, and I did not want to see their research lost due to a lack of funds. I had spoken to the company previously about their research when my mother was first unwell, but it was only in its initial stages and my mother died too quickly. So when they needed the money they approached me and I gladly accepted, moving the company to Shreveport.

Once I'd finished I could see that Sookie was visibly upset and fighting off her tears but I was still too angry. How dare she walk into my office and make such accusations of me. She would obviously always see me in this light due to the mistakes I made as a twenty-one year old, and I was not going to take it. I knew that she would not have dreamed to have approached any other CEO like this, and I was also certain that if any other member of staff had come in my office accusing me of such things I would have fired them instantly. Yet somehow I couldn't.

Instead I told her to leave and threw back her comment about us avoiding each other, telling her it was probably a good idea. I picked up my phone hit the button to call Pam.

"Its eight in the morning. Fuck off." She was never a morning person but I was too pissed off to take any notice of her. I replied to her in Swedish.

"I can't do this anymore, Pam. I'm leaving. She just walked into my office and accused me of exploitation and unethical behaviour. She has been accusing me without even asking my side first. I have to get away. You're right, I need a break from it all."

"Fuck, Eric, are you okay?"

"No, I'm fucking not." I was aware that Sookie had got up from her chair but I turned my back to her to face the window so I did not have to see her.

"Just calm it, okay. I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and turned to the elevator in time to see the elevator doors closing and Sookie's eyes streaming with tears as I shed my own.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sookie**

My eyes met Eric's momentarily as the tears fell from my eyes and the elevator doors closed. I could not make out the expression on his face, though that could have been from the water obscuring my vision. I swallowed my breath as the elevator descended and as soon as it reached the bottom I walked quickly into the ladies rest rooms which were situated just off the entrance hall. I immediately locked myself in a cubicle and sat down on lid of the toilet.

What the hell had I done? I had walked into his office and accused him off completely unreasonable behaviour without giving him the opportunity to explain himself. And really, what was it to me anyway? He didn't even have to explain himself like he did.

I leaned back and shut my eyes. I really should quit. There was no way I could ever show my face again and Eric no doubt hated me. I would never dream of walking into anyone else's office and accuse them of such things, why did I think that Eric should be any different just because I knew him?

He seemed so shocked at my allegations and so angry with me, though I didn't blame him on that one. I was angry with myself. When he went on to explain himself I wanted the world to swallow me up whole. Why was I so keen to accept the worst of Eric? He wouldn't have got to where he was if he wasn't an excellent businessman. Northman Inc. had been successful under his father, but what he had done with the company since was truly astounding. And then there were the other companies he had set up in the meantime and the acquisitions and mergers he had been involved with. Why the hell did I think I could barge, uninvited, into his office and accuse him of being unethical and manipulative.

I didn't think I would ever be able to face Eric again, but the only thing I could do would be to apologise to him. I knew that I based my bad opinion of him due to what happened ten years previous, but maybe it truly was time to put that behind me. I could not blame everything on that and I should not judge Eric on a mistake he made as a young man. I was convinced that I would never be able to forgive or forget what happened and the way he took advantage of me, but I should at least put it behind me and not judge Eric so harshly.

I took a deep breath, wiped away my tears with a piece of tissue and stepped out of the cubicle. I would go and speak to Eric later once he had calmed down and apologise to him. That was a certain. With my mind made up I cleaned my face up to hide the evidence of my tears and applied a little mascara, glad that I always carried one around in my bag. I certainly needed a retouch considering my previous effort that morning had been half way down my face.

Once I looked back to normal I headed up to the office and went to see Damon Cataliades as I'd been requested to. I had actually been given my own office – although it wasn't very big – and Damon talked me through what my new role would involve. I was actually excited at the opportunity that I had been given, and added it as another thing I would speak to Eric about. I certainly owed him one for this, and I was determined to thank him for his help. I just hoped he wouldn't sack me for the way I spoke to him.

I was busy all day so I did not get the chance to go and see Eric at lunchtime, and although the temptation to email him an apology was strong, I resisted it. I knew that was the wimps way out and I was going to face him and apologise. I was also aware that he would be angry with me, but as it was nothing less than I deserved I would take it.

I hadn't got chance to speak to Lafayette, though he did send me an email asking for all the gossip on my date with Alcide and I promised I would grab a bite to eat with him in the week. I wasn't sure whether I was going to talk to Alcide about what Eric had said. Had I just got the wrong end of the stick from Alcide, was I interpreting what he said and assuming the worst of Eric? Alcide had said, however, that he hated Eric, so there must be some reasoning behind that.

It was gone half past five by the time that I left my office after turning off my PC and I took a deep breath to compose myself before walking down to reception. The fake-blonde was still at reception though was obviously packing up her belongings. I tried to ignore her and went to walk to Eric's private elevator.

"He's not in."

I turned to look at her. "What?"

"Mr Northman left for the day earlier this afternoon." She looked smug.

"Okay, thanks. I'll see him tomorrow."

"No, you won't." What the fuck?

"Excuse me?"

"Mr Northman has taken three weeks off. He announced it to the exec team earlier on."

I was crushed and I felt my heart sink like it was full of lead. He'd gone? Was this pre-planned or had my words and accusations caused this? I could feel the sting of tears again, but I was not about to let her see my weakness.

"Okay." Was all I could manage before I headed towards the exit.

"Are you alright?" She caught me up and touched me on the elbow.

"I'm fine, thank you." I sped up to try and avoid her but she was hot on my heels as we left the building.

"What did he do?"

"What?"

"Mr Northman, what did he do? You obviously know each other. I've seen the way he is with women and I saw how upset you were this morning. I promise I won't say anything, hell, he's made it perfectly clear I'd be sacked if I did say anything, but are you okay?"

She'd followed me all the way to my car and I stopped still. "It's me, not him. I'm the one that fucked things up. He's an old friend of my brother's. I … uh …. I didn't realise he was going on holiday."

"He wasn't. This has come out of the blue. We've had to completely rearrange everything."

Fuck. So it was me. I felt even worse. I clenched my teeth tightly together so I could remain in one piece.

"I'm Becky, by the way. You're Sookie, right? I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, I know I can be a bit of a bitch at times. I heard you got one of the new marketing positions, that's pretty cool."

"Thanks," I murmured, my teeth still clenched.

She looked at me for a moment. "If there's anything I can do, let me know. I hope you're alright. I've had a thing for Mr Northman since I first worked here, hell, every woman does, but I think you're the only one he's ever really spoken to, you're obviously something special to him." She smiled and walked to her own car. Her saying that did not help.

I allowed myself to breathe in a few large gulps of air as I got into my car and drove out of the parking lot. I was aware that I was shaking the whole journey home. I felt like shit. I really had hurt him and he had left because of me. I tried to fight off the tears as I drove and I was beginning to feel increasingly sick.

As soon as I got home I went straight to my bathroom and threw up the remnants of my lunch. I sank down onto the cool tiled floor and allowed the darkness I was feeling consume me. I stayed there wallowing in my own self pity, curled up in the foetal position on the bathroom floor for what felt like hours. Amelia and Tray must have been out for the evening as I was not disturbed. I eventually managed to pull myself off the floor and I curled up in bed, pulling the covers over my head and trying to block out the world.

I must have fallen asleep as I woken by Amelia gently knocking and opening my door. I lifted my head slightly, my eyes squinting from the bright light of the corridor.

"Sook, are you okay? Have you eaten?"

"No, but I'm fine, I just don't feel very well."

"Can I get you anything hun? A glass of water, some aspirin?" Amelia looked concerned.

"That would be good, I think I just want to lie here and sleep."

"Okay. Be back in a sec."

Amelia reappeared a minute or so later with a glass of water and a few aspirin and wished me good night as her and Tray went on upstairs to their room. I was really not in the place for company, and I didn't want to explain to Amelia what had happened. I started feeling sick again as I thought back to the events of the day and had to run again to my bathroom.

I woke up cold the next morning with a hugely stiff neck, and I realised that I had in fact slept on the cool bathroom floor. It was only five a.m. but I was wide awake so I had a shower and cleaned my bathroom before getting ready for work. I tried to force down some breakfast, but I could not mange it. I left for work at my normal time to arrive just before nine and parked in my usual spot. As I walked into the building I was painfully aware of the empty parking space where Eric's corvette normally sat.

I smiled slightly at Becky as I walked through the foyer and went up to my office, determined to keep my head down and just do my job. Lafayette came to talk to me at lunchtime, but I was still not feeling very hungry and only nibbled on my sandwich. He'd been rambling on about some bloke he had met on Saturday night, but I really heard very little.

"Sooks, are you okay?" I was only just aware that he had addressed me directly.

"I'm fine!" I said a little too brightly.

"Oh really? 'Cause I'm not sure that you have listened one bit to what I've just been saying. What's up? What or who is on your mind?"

"It's nothing, really. I'm fine." My weariness was evident in my voice.

"It's to do with him, isn't it."

"Laf …," I said in a warning tone. He'd promised he wouldn't bring Eric up.

"Look, I have no idea what the hell is up with you, and honestly I'm not sure I want to know. But you're sat here sulking and refusing to eat anything and Boss Man has disappeared. What about Alcide? You guys were getting on so well the other night."

"I don't know. We've made arrangements to meet up again this weekend."

"Okay, so Eric ….?"

"Is nothing." I answered. "Please, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, but you look miserable, you really do. I'm just looking out for you, girl."

"I know, thanks Laf."

I was relieved when he left my office and I threw myself back into work. I was glad that I'd been given a couple of projects to work on that were keeping me busy and for the rest of the week I wasn't leaving until seven and even working at home. Amelia complained that I was working too hard and not looking after myself, but I was welcome for the distraction.

On the Friday I made a conscious effort to leave work at a more acceptable time and was out of the door by half five. I hadn't heard a thing about Eric all week other than that he'd gone on vacation suddenly, though I didn't know what I expected. I wouldn't have been too surprised if Pam had turned up on my doorstep to beat the crap out of me, and I think I may have let her.

When I pulled up the lane and onto to my gravel drive I spotted a large black truck sat on the drive. My first instinct was that the strange vehicle could be Eric or Pam, but then I seriously doubted either of them would drive something as ostentatious like that. And then I realised who the truck belonged to. I parked as normal around the back of the house and flew into the house feeling very pissed off.

Jason was sat on my couch talking to Amelia and Tray.

"Get the fuck out, Jason!" I yelled as soon as I had entered the room.

"Sookie …," he started.

"No. Get out. I cannot believe you are even here. Have I not told you enough times that I want absolutely nothing to do with you? Go. Now."

"No, Sook. This was Gran's house. This is our family home, I have every right to be here."

"You do not as she left the house to me. You are not welcome here and I do not want to see you."

"Sookie, please. I wanted us to talk. I've hardly seen you in ten years. I didn't even know you were divorced."

I turned to glare at Amelia who looked a little sheepish. How long had Jason been here. "That is none of you business. Just go."

"I'm your brother. We're all the family we have. Come on, blood is thicker than water …"

"You may be a blood relative, Jason, but you are not my family. I want nothing to do with you. I told you that ten years ago. GET OUT!" I could feel myself really beginning to lose control. I was aware that my face was flushed and my nails were digging into the heel of my hands, no doubt making indentations.

"Oh right, so you can work for Eric Northman, but you won't even speak to me? Nice."

I stood there dumbfounded and turned to look at Amelia again who was observing the yelling match between Jason and I. "Sorry, Sookie. I didn't realise. I didn't know what happened."

I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes before opening them again and glaring at her. "How long has he been here?"

"About half an hour or so," she said in a quiet voice.

"And you've been talking all that time. Talking about me?"

"He wanted to know how you've been. He is your only family."

"No, he's not. I thought you were my family, Amelia, but you've just gone and betrayed me as well. You knew I didn't get on with him, but you talk to him anyway? Tell him all about me?"

"I'm sorry, Sook. All I really said was that you were divorced and working at Northman Inc. in Shreveport." She looked devastated so I decided not to push her further.

I looked back to Jason. "And how did you know I moved back to Bon Temps?" Jason had sold our parents home a few years back, and as far as I was aware he rarely came back.

"Hoyt told me. Jessica saw you shopping the other day." Jessica and Hoyt had been childhood sweethearts and married a few years after high school. I had always wished Jason could have been more like Hoyt, he was a genuinely good guy.

I walked out of the room and into the kitchen, pulling the bottle of wine I had stowed there that morning out of the fridge and poured a large glassful for myself. After taking a large gulp I topped up the glass again and walked back to where Amelia, Tray and Jason were sitting.

"Are you going to tell me why you can work for Northman but you won't even speak to me?"

I sat down on on one of the chairs ignoring Jason and turned to Amelia. "How much did he tell you?"

She looked at me sympathetically and I could feel her pity. I was half tempted to kick her and Tray out for this, but I was sure I'd regret it if I did.

"He told us about the bet that him, Eric and Quinn had, and how Eric slept with you in the cemetery as a result of that bet. And also how you found out about it when Quinn let it slip. Sook, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. I really don't blame you for hating Eric for what he did to you. But Jason is your brother …"

"Shit, Amelia. Do you really think that what Eric did was worse than Jason? He did exactly the same thing to Tara and also allowed one of his friends to sleep with his younger sister for a bet!" I was yelling again. "Jason, you and you alone had the power to stop what happened. Fine, do your little bets, the three of you were always getting in to some kind of trouble, but why involve me? Why Tara? You knew she liked you and you fucked her over."

"In the same way that Eric fucked you over? Sook, I knew you liked him, I thought it would be a good way to get you two together. I was trying to be nice to you. I knew that otherwise Eric would never be interested in you, he liked beautiful girls."

What. The. Fuck. Who the hell did Jason think he was? Eric had told me himself that he did want me, he wanted to be my first. And he at least had apologised to me. Jason had never really apologised – he just seemed sorry at being caught.

"Fuck you, Jason." I spat.

"What? Sooks, we were both sorry when it happened, we knew we'd done wrong to you. I'm sorry, okay. There, I said it. But I still don't see why you can forgive him and not me."

"I haven't forgiven him. I just work for his company. End of story." Not technically true, but I wasn't going to tell any of them what else had happened between Eric and I over the past week. "Now get the fuck out of my house and do not come back. I don't want to see you again, Jason. We are no longer family."

"Whatever. I'm going to go and see him about this." I was actually glad he wasn't around. At least I assumed he wasn't around.

"Just go."

I walked to the front door and held it open for him, glaring at him until he got up and left. I did not leave the porch until I knew he was gone. When he was I sat down onto the porch swing and wrapped by arms around my knees as I hugged them to my chest.

After ten minutes or so Amelia opened the door and came and sat with me. She held out another glass of wine to me and joined me on the swing.

"What does he look like?"

I couldn't resist a smile. "Tall, broad-shouldered, blonde shoulder length hair the same colour as mine and brilliant blue eyes."

"Sounds hot."

"He always was."

"And you still like him, don't you."

Amelia was much more perceptive than my brother. "It's difficult. I liked him back then, and although he came to me on the back of a dare I was hardly an unwilling participant."

"But he took your virginity on a bet with his friends!"

"I know. And I will never forgive him for going along with them, but I can hardly say I didn't enjoy it at the time. Honestly, Ame, it remains the best sex of my life."

"Isn't that just a poor reflection on Asshole?" Amelia laughed.

"Maybe," I smiled, "but Eric is very … talented."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Have you spoken to him, then? About this?"

"Yes. I think he was worried I would tell people. It's not something that would look good on him as a businessman. I don't think he did realise that I genuinely liked him, and maybe he wouldn't have done it if he knew that. But he told me he wanted to be my first."

"Jason said that Eric would not let Quinn near you."

I hadn't known that. "Quinn was bad news. Eric certainly would have been more gentle and caring than Quinn would have been, but then I probably wouldn't have let Quinn get as close to me as I let Eric get. I probably wouldn't have let Quinn get anywhere near me, it was my attraction to Eric that let it go as far as it did. I think at the time I knew something was not right, I knew I was being seduced by him, but I just wanted him too much."

Amelia looked thoughtful as we both sipped our wines. "So," she began, "if the circumstances had been different, would you still have slept with Eric?"

"Probably. But then it wasn't as if Eric would ever have turned up at my house for any other reason. I was Jason's kid sister, he had no reason to look twice at me."

"But he told you he wanted to be your first and he stopped Quinn from going near you. Why would he say that if he wouldn't have looked twice at you. It sounds like to me that maybe he did like you. Sure, maybe not in the way you would have wanted him to, but I think it sounds like he was attracted to you. Am I reading too much into this?"

Eric had told me in the cemetery that night that he wished the circumstances had been different, but did he want me at the time or was that just him looking back in retrospect? But either way, it suggested that Eric liked me, possibly even now.

Well, until I fucked things up and called him manipulative and unethical anyway.

I was so confused and I was tired of thinking about it. My brain was tied up in knots regarding Eric. But the one thing I was aware of was that I had truly fucked up any chance of friendship I may have had with him.

"I don't know, Amelia. Things have all come crashing down around me since I saw him a few weeks back and I just don't know what to do. I will never be able to forget what he did – that he slept with me, took my virginity on the back of a bet – but I also know I must move on and not keep on dwelling on the past."

"He was just a twenty-one year old kid. We all make mistakes."

"I know. I just …. I don't know."

"Well I think the reason that you're still so upset by all this is because you still love him. I think you're so upset by this all because you loved him back then and he hurt you. I think you've held onto your grudge because you still love him."

"What? No!" She was being crazy, right?

"Are you telling me you're not attracted to him?"

"Any woman would be attracted to him. He's fuckhot."

"Sookie. You know what I meant. Are you attracted to him? Assume none of this happened, would you want him?"

"But it did! I can't just forget that easily!"

"So you had great sex with him ten years ago. So what?"

"He tricked me. It was all a bet."

"But it was still the best sex of your life? Sookie, hun, I think you're in denial. You don't want to be in love with him, but I think you are. I can't even explain why you'd work for him unless you actually wanted to see him. You two really need to get in a room together and just fuck like rabbits. Get it out of your system as two consenting adults who are attracted to each other. You're a hot woman, and he sounds like a hot man – though I do want pictures. You need to sort this out. Now come on, lets go inside. You still meeting Alcide this weekend?"

"Yeah, just for a drink tomorrow night."

"Hussy!"

"What? It's not as if I have anything going on with Eric! And I don't really know what I want from Alcide, I've been out of the game for a long time. I need to ease my way back in."

"Understandable."

We went inside and finished off the bottle of wine while playing Monopoly, but my mind continued to wonder off towards Eric. Did I want him? After all that had happened, that really would be my just desserts considering it was me that had now fucked things up.

I wondered where Eric was and hoped that we was feeling better than I was.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks for all the reviews and comments. I do love reading them all and apologies if I don't get to respond all the time._

* * *

**Eric**

As the elevator doors closed and it began descending I sank heavily into my chair and put my head into my hands, pulling at my hair in frustration. Who the fuck did she think she was coming into my office and accusing me of being unethical and making all sorts of false allegations against me? And why was she so insistent on believing everything anyone else said about me without even asking for my side of events?

But I knew why, and it was because of one moment of stupidity when I was twenty-one. I should have just told Quinn to fuck off and then gone and seen Sookie anyway. I did want her, that was the stupid thing. I may not have even consciously realised it back then, but she had always intrigued me and although she liked me (though I hadn't realised that at the time) she never threw herself at me like a lot of the girls did. Maybe I just saw her as a challenge myself without Quinn's input, but I did want her.

I knew I should have treated her better afterwards. Maybe if I had spoken to her, even if I hadn't told her about the bet, but at least met up with her after and talked rather than avoiding her and running off to Sweden. I was sure she'd probably have still hated me for the whole thing with Quinn, but at least I may have been able to apologise to her then and she wouldn't have ten years of pent up anger against me. Maybe we needed to shout it out between us, fuck and move on. Though somehow I doubted that would be enough.

Pam arrived within half an hour and I was still sat in the same position when she came up. Despite her quick arrival from being woken up by my call she was still immaculately dressed.

"You look like death warmed up," was her oh-so-pleasant hello.

"I feel like it."

"She really walked in here and make accusations of you? What did she accuse you of?"

I told Pam the extent of our conversation, though it wasn't really a conversation. More like her making accusations and then me setting her right. We were hardly conversing. Pam was as shocked by her allegations as I was, and she was certainly of the same opinion when it came to Alcide Herveaux.

"Where is she?"

I got up to pour the two of us a drink. This was becoming a bad habit where Sookie was concerned. I handed Pam as glass as I took a large swig of my own.

"No idea. She may have gone back to her office, she may have left."

"You didn't fire her?" Pam raised an eyebrow.

"No. I couldn't. And yes, I know that if it was anyone else I would have, but I just couldn't."

" I swear, I will fucking kill her."

"Pam," I growled. "You will not go to see her and you will not cause her any harm."

"Why? Tell me, why the fuck not?"

I didn't really have an answer, or certainly not one that I was prepared to say out loud. Or even admit to myself for that matter. I suppressed that thought.

"Just don't. Promise me, Pam."

I looked sternly at her and she rolled her eyes. "Fine. I will not go and see her and I will not cause her any harm." I knew that Pam was looking for loopholes in the sentence, but frankly I couldn't be bothered with it.

"But you were right. I do need a break, I need to get away. I'm going to tell the board this afternoon at our meeting and then I'm gone for a few weeks."

In the half hour I had sat waiting for Pam to arrive I had made up my mind that I needed to get away and I was going to get on the first plane towards Europe. I thought about going to Sweden, maybe even visit some family, but I wanted to be alone. Be somewhere where no one knew me.

"Where are you going?"

"England. I have a few college friends in London who I may go and catch up with, but I thought I may just travel around a bit."

Although our mother had been born and raised in Sweden her own father had been English – hence her maiden name of Ravenscroft – and our grandfather had taken us to England when we were kids before he died. I'd always been very fond of England, the landscape and climate being so different to the Louisiana where we'd grown up.

"Okay, just be careful. And don't do anything, or anyone, that I wouldn't do."

I couldn't help a smile. "Well that will at least give me some freedom!"

Pam came around to the side of my desk and I got up to give her a hug. "I love you, big brother. I know I don't tell you that very often, but just take care. You need to get that bitch out of your mind and you really should fire her ass. You have perfect reason to. It's not going to do you any good to come back here and then she's still working here. It'll be bad enough with her living in Bon Temps let alone working in the same building."

Pam could be pretty persistent at times. "I'll think on it and make a decision when I come back."

"Well, with any luck she'll do the decent thing and quit anyway."

"Maybe she will," I said sadly. The fact remained that I did not want her to quit. For some reason.

I looked at the time and saw that it was nearly nine. "I have a meeting soon. Thanks for coming over."

"We'll count it as one that you owe me." She kissed me on the cheek and exited the room in her usual high-drama fashion.

I survived the rest of the morning's meetings phone calls and teleconferences. I really did hate Mondays. But I could not stop checking my email. Even when I was supposedly in meetings, the urge to check was too strong. Bloody iPhone and its instant email access.

But there was no email from her. Nada. Nothing.

I didn't really know why I was expected one from her, I wasn't even sure if she was still in the building and I didn't want to give anything away by asking security or her bosses. I was fairly sure by her tears that she was sorry for what she had said to me, but maybe she realised that email would be a crappy way to apologise. It would at least be a start, though.

Or maybe it meant that she did mean it and didn't want to apologise.

I skipped lunch due to my lack of hunger and went on into the weekly meeting with the execs. I had to admit that I was a little distracted, but I'm not too sure anyone noticed. My interest did peak when Damon Cataliades spoke of the changes he had made to the marketing department and even named Sookie as one of those he had promoted, but I kept my face a mask.

Once all the normal business was conducted I announced to the team that I would be taking a three week vacation. None of them hid their surprise very well, but then I hadn't not worked for longer than three consecutive days since I took over the business. And that included the deaths of both of my parents. I arranged a brief private meeting with my COO and told the board that Pam would be taking my place at these meetings and of they had any problems to go to her. I did give them a warning to not fuck with Pam, but they'd all heard enough about her to know to not to try anything while I was gone.

Once I'd finished my meetings I spoke to my secretary – who was having kittens at my announcement – and left my office to start my vacation. I noticed the blonde at reception watching me as I left my elevator and headed towards the exit. She called to me and I changed direction to have a quiet word with her.

"Mr Northman, I heard that you were leaving us on vacation, I didn't know you had anything planned …" I was a little surprised at her line of questioning. It really was nothing to do with her.

"Yes. I am going for three weeks. It was a sudden decision."

She looked like she was desperate to say something but could not find the words. I raised an eyebrow at her expectantly. "Um … Mr Northman, Miss Stackhouse left your office in tears earlier … she seemed very upset."

So she was asking on behalf of Sookie. "And did she go home?"

"No. She went into the ladies room for around twenty minutes and then went up to her office."

"Thank you, Becky," I said after looking at her ID. "And I don't need to remind you that this is private …"

"Of course not, sir. Um, did you have a message for her?"

"No. but you can tell her that I have left."

"Have a good vacation, sir."

I gave her a half-smile and nod and then walked out of the building and drove quickly out of the car park before I changed my mind and went to see Sookie.

.

The flight to Heathrow was bearable and I at least managed to get some sleep. When I'd gotten home I changed into a more comfortable jeans and t-shirt combination and packed a bag full of clothes and a few toiletries. I was sure that I had probably forgotten a lot of what I needed, but as it was England I was heading towards and not the middle of the sahara desert I was certain I could just buy what I had forgotten.

I flew business class as the first class seats were fully booked and had to endure the air hostess or steward – whatever they wanted to call themselves these days – flirting with me the whole journey. I regretted not having my laptop with me so that I could at least feign work. Instead I was reading Eco's_ The Name of the Rose_, but her interruptions were not helping me concentrate.

Once in London I took a cab to the boutique hotel I had somehow managed to get a last minute suite in and was situated on the edge of Kensington Gardens. The room was huge and decadent in an ornate English fashion and a small snooker table in one corner. The attention to detail was sublime and I was greeted by a plate of fresh fruit and home-made cookies. Hell, the suite even came with its own butler service. I couldn't help but feel this room was wasted on me. I needed to be sharing it with someone.

I shook that thought from my head, took a quick shower and laid down for a the night after watching some TV to try and combat the jet lag. The next morning after an exquisite English breakfast I sent a few emails from my phone to the college friends I knew that now lived in London and by an hour later we had arranged to meet up that night.

My old college friends Steve and Sarah Newlin had married in our fourth year after having met within weeks of the start of term. I'd always been a little jealous of their close relationship, but at that time I was not looking for that kind of lifestyle. I'd also arranged to meet Farrell, a strange somewhat geeky guy that we had also known. He was now working for some computer company or other. He was the odd ball of our group of friends, but quite often the life and soul of the party when he let his hair down.

I spent the day wandering around the sights of London and after returning back to my room for a shower before I went to meet them. We'd arranged to meet in a pub just off Hyde Park which was within walking distance of my hotel. It was a warm summer's evening as I walked the busy London streets, people hurrying in all directions and taking no notice of anyone else. I almost missed this anonymity. As I found the pub and looked around I saw Steve and Sarah sat at a dark wood table in the window and gave them a quick wave before ordering myself a pint of cider and joining them.

Steve stood up to shake my hand. "Well look who decided to venture back across the pond! How are you, Northman?"

"Good," I lied. "Want to tell me why you have a ridiculous English accent?" I laughed. He sounded truly stupid. It was worse than Madonna's when she was married to Guy Ritchie.

"It's not ridiculous. I've lived here for eight years now, it just kind of rubs off on you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You know what he was like with picking up other people's accents. He used to have a Louisiana accent after spending any length of time with you, and your accent isn't even that strong!"

"Oi! I am here, you know."

"Yes, and you know how stupid you sound!" Steve playfully swatted her on the arm before kissing her cheek. "So Eric, what are you doing over here. If we'd known earlier you could have stayed with us, we have plenty of room. And we'd promise to not put you on too much baby-sitting duty!" Sarah and Steve had had three kids in the years since leaving Harvard, but somehow Sarah still managed to work full time and run her own design company.

"That's okay. It was a somewhat last minute decision and I'm not quite sure how long I'm staying in London. I thought I may rent a car and head off in some direction or other."

"You should. The south-west of England is gorgeous at this time of the year, well, as long as you avoid the tourist hot-spots. But there are loads of places you should go. Are you here alone?" Sarah had always been quite instinctive.

"Yes. Just needed a bit of time to clear my head." I took a large gulp of my pint.

"Another?" Steve asked. "You look you need it."

"Thanks." I handed my empty to Steve and he headed up to the bar.

"Women trouble then?" Sarah asked with a knowing look. I had been quite the manwhore at college.

"Something like that. One in particular, but I'd rather not talk about it if that's okay."

"No probs."

At that point Steve returned with my pint and Farrell joined us with a male and female that I did not know.

"Farrell, good to see you."

"And you, Eric. I hope you don't mind but I've brought along another couple of stray Americans. They're working with me on a project and I have been tasked of showing them the sights. Which for most Brits is normally just the inside of the pub. So here they are!"

We rearranged the table to allow room for the two new additions. The male was probably about five foot ten with dark brown hair and sallow sunken eyes. He was also pale from lack of exposure to the sun – something that made him look almost vampiric. She didn't look much more alive but had reddy-brown hair and brown eyes. She was kind of attractive but looked like she'd be a complete bitch. She was also eyeing me hungrily despite the fact that her hand was on the man's inside leg as they sat.

"Guys, this is Bill Compton and Lorena Ball. They're both from Seattle and work for Microsoft over there. Bill, Lorena, this is Sarah and Steve Newlin who both also live here in London and Eric Northman who has just dropped in from Louisiana. We all went to Harvard together."

We all made small talk for a while before Bill addressed me as the two girls started talking about shoes or shopping or something else that made me switch off.

"So where in Louisiana are you from? My ex-wife was from Louisiana."

I noticed Lorena look over at him and roll her eyes. "I live in Shreveport, in Northern Louisiana."

"Yeah, I went there. The ex lived in some hick town about an hour outside. Can't remember for the life of me what the place was called, but I hated it. Only went there twice in the time she was with me, and that was three times too many. Lucky escape, I have to say!" He threw his head back in laughter and I wanted to rip his exposed throat away from his body.

This was Sookie's dick of an ex-husband. Jason had told me that his name was Bill but I had never known his surname. I wanted to kill him for hurting her in the way he had, but maybe also thank him for sending her back in my direction. Why would he possibly want this Lorena over Sookie? The man was obviously an idiot.

I attempted a smile, but I was sure that it came out more like a grimace.

"You want to move to a proper city. Get out of Louisiana, there's nothing there!"

Steve obviously noticed my reaction as he stepped in. "You'll find, actually, that Mr Northman here seemingly owns half of Louisiana already and is probably it's most successful businessman."

"Fuck, you're Eric Northman of Northman Inc.? We should do business together. I have a small side project that I need some investment in. You're probably just the man." He went on to tell me all about his piss-poor business he had just started up and told me his completely ridiculous financial plans. Even if I didn't already hate the guy there is no way I would ever invest. I took his number but I would not be calling him.

Luckily Bill and Lorena already had dinner plans elsewhere so the four of us went off for a meal together in one of the many gastro-pubs that were springing up around London. The food was excellent and I enjoyed catching up with my old friends. After our food we hit a local bar that had a dance floor and was strangely similar in lay out to Fantasia.

I was stood at the bar when an attractive brunette came and stood next to me as she waited to be served. I noticed that she took a few sly looks at me. She had bluey-green eyes and rich chocolate brown hair and was petite but curvy in a very Sookie kind of way. When the bartender came over in our direction I rudely held my place in the queue and ordered my pint before turning to the brunette next to me.

"And what can I get you?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "A Pimms and lemonade would be lovely, thank you." She had a really cute English accent. The bartender came over and I paid for our drinks. It was strangely refreshing to not have to tip. We both moved out of the way of the bar to allow others to take our place and I led her to a high table with a couple of high stools to sit on.

"You're American?" She observed.

"Yes, I'm from Louisiana." I gave her a warm smile.

"That's in the south, right?" I nodded. "Sorry, my American geography is crap. I really want to go to New York but I haven't found a way yet."

"You should. It's very different to London. You live here?"

"Yeap. Though I'm from about thirty miles outside London originally in Kent. Everyone seems to migrate to London. Do you live in London?"

"No. I'm just visiting some college friends." She looked a little disappointed but soon regained her composure.

"I'm Hadley, by the way."

"Eric." I took her held out hand in my own and we shook hands.

"My friend is going to kill me. She saw you earlier and wanted to come over. In fact, she probably will!"

"Is she as attractive as you are?" I leaned closer to her.

She blushed in the same way Sookie probably would. "That's not for me to judge." She innocently started playing with a strand of hair.

It didn't take long for her much less attractive friend to come over and I chatted to both girls for a while. They both had a very British sense of humour and started to tell me places I should go on my trip to England, although her friend – being Scottish – told me off for referring to their country as England. She told me it was a very American thing to do.

After a while her friend took the hint and left, and after chatting for a while longer I asked Hadley if she wanted to dance and led her to the dance floor. We started dancing some distance from each other but as the time moved on we got closer, my hands in hers or on her hips as I pulled her close to me.

My mind wondered to those photos I'd seen of Sookie dancing with Alcide and I couldn't help but think of the similarities. However, as much as this girl was hot and as Pam would have put it, exactly what I needed, she wasn't Sookie and I could not get that blonde out of my head.

It wasn't through lack of trying, however. I spent over an hour talking to Hadley, flirting with her and allowing her to flirt back with me. I even danced closer with her than I necessarily would, her body flush against mine, her warm breath at my neck. But I still could not feel anything for her. Sure there was lust and I was certain that if I took her back to my suite I would be able to show her a _very_ good time, but that wasn't enough. I wanted more.

I wasn't sure that I had ever gone without sex for as long as this since I started having it. I tried to think back to my previous conquest before Sookie came crashing back into my life. It would probably have been the weekend before I saw her in the car park. And it was in my office in Fantasia, classy as that was. I didn't think I would be picking up any more strays in the bar.

When the night came to an end and last orders were called it was easy to see the disappointment on Hadley's face when I wished her goodnight with a simple peck on the cheek and didn't exchange numbers with her. She had tried to kiss me earlier on in the night when we danced, but I had kept my head out of kissing distance. Instead, Sarah, Steve and I hailed a black cab and we headed off towards my hotel. Steve was asleep instantly.

"So who is she?"

"That girl? She was called Hadley. She …"

"Not her. The one you're running away from. The one that kept you from sleeping with Hadley. The Eric Northman I knew would never turn down such an offer. So who is she?"

I sighed. I really didn't want to talk about this. I was here to get away from thoughts of Sookie, and already I had run into her ex-husband and I was being grilled on her by old college friend.

"She's called Sookie. I knew her brother growing up. We had a very brief thing a few years back before she left Louisiana and now she's back. She even works for me."

"And what, she's married now, gotten ugly?" I shook my head. "So the problem is …"

"She hates me. I wasn't very nice to her when we had our thing years earlier and she still resents me for it."

"How long are we talking?"

"Ten years."

"Ten years? Seriously? What did you do, murder her family? Stalk her and boil her pet rabbit? Eric, I know you. You're not a bad person. Why does she hate you?"

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. Pam was the only person I had ever told. "I had sex with her for a bet. She was a virgin. I took her virginity for a bet." There, said it.

I turned to look at Sarah, who was laughing. "Seriously? That's all? Jeez. That's some grudge to hold if she still hates you now over."

"It's more than that, Sarah. She liked me and I used her and then I avoided her. I never even apologised when she found about our bet. I hurt her, and its understandable that she hates me."

"Okay, fine, so I can see why she's not your biggest fan. What's the problem now?"

That was a good question. "I don't know. It's hard seeing her. I apologised to her and we talked about what happened. She told me she'd never forgive me or forget what happened."

"Again, and the problem is … So she doesn't like you! The US is probably littered with girls that don't like you after you had your bit of fun with them. What. Is. The. Problem?"

"I don't know. I can't get her out of my head."

"What made you run away?" Sarah asked softly.

"A few days ago she walks into my office having been out with her friends over the weekend and accuses me of unethical behaviour and manipulation. She had been out with a builder who owes my family a huge amount of money and it seems that Sookie was all to ready to believe the worst of me to the extent that she confronts me on it."

"What a bitch! So now you're here, but you still can't hate her enough to sleep with a perfectly nice girl who was more than willing. Eric, you have it bad for her. I wish I could tell you what to do, but there is no right or wrong when it comes to love."

What the fuck? "Whoa, hold your horses there. I don't love her."

"Are you sure? You seem pretty pent up on her even though she's been rude to you. This isn't like you, Eric. She'd not just some random girl you slept with ten ago. You felt something for her then and you still feel it now. What would you call it?"

Again, good question. "I don't know. This is all so fucked up. I need to sort my head out. It's the reason I came over here in the first place, I needed to get away to think."

I noticed that we were at my hotel. I gave Sarah some money to cover my half of the fair. She grabbed my hand before I left the cab. "You do need to think about it, that's for sure. But maybe you both need to wipe the slate clean, not hold these grudges against each other. It sounds to me like there is some underlying love between you. Enjoy your trip, Eric. And go back to her with a new head on your shoulders."

"Thanks for listening. Good night."

Steve woke long enough to utter a response and the cab drove off into the night. I went back to my room and flomped down onto the bed. So much for escaping Sookie and my problems. What the hell was I doing? What was I going to do? A part of me wanted to go back to Shreveport straight away and talk to her. Had she tried to see me? I hated not knowing.

And I was fairly sure that space would do us both good. But what if she was to see Alcide again. What if she decides to believe him instead? What if she decides that she wants to be with him? I almost regretted telling Pam not to interfere and seriously considered calling her. It would be only early afternoon there, after all.

I tried to sleep but I had the same thoughts batting around my head until I finally came up with a solution. I was going to stay in England – or the UK – for the three weeks as planned. I would have fun, see the sights and see what happened. If I met a nice girl, so-be-it. It wouldn't even be as if anyone back home had to know. Different post-code. Hell, different continent.

And if during this time Sookie does get with Alcide or someone else, then I know that things are not meant to be and I will move on.

I will beat this.

* * *

_I hope you don't mind me borrowing Eric and sending him in my direction! It's only fare to share!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Sookie**

I didn't sleep very well that night. I tossed and turned but all I could really think about was Eric and what Amelia had told me. Did I love him? That was crazy talk, right? Half the time I wasn't even sure if I liked him. And it wasn't as if we'd seen each other over the ten years until now. But I couldn't deny that I kept on thinking about him and we seemed to be seriously affected by each other – whether positively or negatively.

The one thing I had decided was that I was not going to dwell on the past any longer. It was stupid to hold the grudge against him for taking my virginity in the way he did. I was fully consenting and there was no doubt that we both enjoyed it. Sure the circumstances weren't that great and he should have spoken to me about it afterwards, but then Jason told him not to. Another reason for me to hate my brother.

I must have eventually drifted off to sleep at around four in the morning as I woke at nine to the sound of Amelia and Tray having loud sex in the room upstairs. I really needed to put some soundproofing in or at least stop the bed from squeaking. I was certain anyone else would be embarrassed to make such a racket, but Amelia seemed to revel in it.

I pottered around the house and ran a few errands for the rest of the day before meeting Alcide that night. We'd arranged for him to come by my house and pick me up to head into Shreveport. The restaurants, clubs and bars there were just better than any of the small town ones around Bon Temps. I showered and changed but I can't say I made a huge effort. I didn't know whether that was consciously or unconsciously.

Alcide arrived at precisely seven-thirty as we'd arranged and I hopped into his truck, giving him a soft and friendly kiss on the cheek as I did. I thought he could have done with a shave, but he obviously liked the face-fur, even if I didn't. He pulled up into the parking lot of a new European style restaurant that had recently opened in Shreveport. It was one I'd wanted to try since it had opened and Alcide agreed to take me there which pleased me as I always thought eating in a restaurant on your own was a little sad.

As we looked through the extensive menu we made small talk until our starters arrived, mine being a goats cheese salad. I took a deep breath and asked him the question that had been on my mind all week.

"Alcide, I was wondering, why is that you hate Eric Northman?"

He paused from shovelling the food into his mouth and put his fork down onto his plate. "Other than the fact that he makes me work for him for crap all pay?" I nodded, not letting on at that time I knew further details about that arrangement just yet. "My ex-fiancée Debbie and I split up about a month or so ago. And she told me that she'd had sex with him in his office in Fantasia. While we were still together, I might add."

Well that wasn't what I was expecting to hear, but then I did ask. "Would Eric have known she was with you?"

"I'm fairly certain he'd have seen the pair of us together. Eric and I have never been friends, but he'd have known that Debbie was with me."

"Could she not have told him that you guys broke up? I mean, if she did break up with you not long after might she have told Eric you had split up?"

"What's with defending him, Sookie?"

I was wasn't I? I guess my opinion of Eric had changed somewhat in the week since I'd last seen Alcide and I wasn't quite so eager to assume the worst of him. Doing that was what had screwed things up last time. But then was I really going to have the opportunity to put it to Eric? And then was it really my business? This would have happened before I started working at Northman Inc. and I hardly had any right to call him on it.

I took a deep breath and decided to tell Alcide about my meeting with Eric. "I was really appalled by what you told me about Eric making you work at cost price, and with something Tray told me I was really pissed at Eric and I confronted him on it."

"I'm guessing he wasn't too happy about that?" Alcide interrupted.

"Something like that. Anyway, he set me straight. He told me that your father had owed his father over a half a million dollars. Is that right?"

He ran his hand through his messy dark brown hair in a gesture that reminded me of Eric. "I'm ashamed to say that it is. My father got himself in all sorts of trouble and many of his friends refused to bail him out or didn't have the funds to help him out. Northman was the last option and one none of us wanted to take, but he agreed."

"Why? Why was it the last option?"

"Northman Senior was known to be a strong but fair businessman and no one had any problems with him. Honestly it was Eric we were more concerned about. He had a rapid rise in his father's businesses and was known for being quite ruthless in getting what he wanted. I'm not saying that that is a bad thing in the business world, but it just meant that we'd rather not have owed money to him."

"But you owed the money to his father?"

"True, and no one could have predicted his father's death. But Northman was making his own standing and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Daddy would pass on the business to him sooner rather than later. He was making a lot more money and it was inevitable. My mother and I were also painfully aware of how delicate my dad's mental health was. We tried to protect him from himself, but ultimately we failed."

"I'm sorry your dad died."

"Thanks. I miss him a lot."

"But surely the deal you have with Eric is a worthwhile option and better than repaying the money owed?"

"Maybe. But I still hate the fucker. I have to admit that the jobs we've done for him haven't been our highest standard of work." He was smirking and I couldn't believe that he would admit that to me. If I was Eric there would be no way I'd want him working for me. But then was that his plan? I was thinking that Alcide was actually the unethical one.

My musings were interrupted by our main course arriving and we both tucked in. I moved the topic of conversation away from Eric and we chatted about more trivial topics such as TV or movies and discovered a mutual love/obsession of _24_. I'd been handed the desert menu to look through when I noticed a presence at our table. I looked up to see Pam Ravenscroft stood next to me.

"Well isn't this cute. The know-it-all and the world's worst builder. Come with me." She snatched the menu out of my hand and stepped out of my way so that I could leave the table.

I shut my eyes for a moment. This was no less than I deserved considering the way I had spoken to Eric, and quite simply fully expected.

"Sook, you don't have to go with that bitch!" Alcide's voice was loud and quite a few people turned to see what the commotion was.

"Keep your voice down. I can assure you, she does. Come on, I don't have all night." Her tone was clipped.

"Sook,"

"I'll be fine. I do need to speak to Pam. I'll see you in a bit."

I mouthed a 'sorry' at him, picked up my bag and followed Pam who had raised an eyebrow at my comment about needing to speak to her. Rather than leading me out of the restaurant she led me towards the 'staff only' area and opened an office door for me to go in.

The room was fairly sparse with only a large desk, a couple of chairs and some filing cabinets. She obviously owned the restaurant, or at least Eric did. I was beginning to think I may have to avoid Shreveport all together if Eric refused to speak to me.

"Sit," she commanded and I obediently took one of the chairs across the desk from her chair. She shut the office door firmly and grabbed an open bottle of red wine from somewhere and poured us both a glass. I took a nervous sip as soon as she placed the glass in front of me.

Pam sat down in her chair across the desk and regarded me for a few moments. "What the fuck are you doing here with Herveaux?"

"He asked me out last weekend when we met up. He seemed an okay guy."

"Seemed? Past tense?" She picked up on that then.

"I don't know. After what he told me …" I didn't quite know how to finish that line.

Pam did. "You mean after he told you about him having to work at cost price for my brother and you assumed that Eric was extorting him or using slave labour?"

"I guess I …"

"You guess?"

"Let me tell you a few truths. Alcide Fucking Herveaux has been nothing but in a pain in the ass. The work he has done for my brother is quite simply liable. A few years ago Eric asked him to put in the foundations for a house he was building for himself. You would not believe how shoddy the work was and when Eric asked more contractors in to do other work one was nearly killed as a result of the work Herveaux did. Eric settled out of court, but the man nearly died and will never work again. And just for your information, the man is a single father with three young kids. The work that your _friend_ did could have left three orphans. Is that the sort of person you want to be having dinner with?"

I was almost in tears thinking about what Pam had said and simply shook my head, doing everything I could to remain composed.

"Tell me how you know about Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals."

I took a few deep breaths to remain conscious. "I know one of the employees that moved over from San Francisco to Shreveport. Him and his wife were friends of mine at college. He told me about the take-over, but he obviously didn't know all the facts. He's a chemist, he just heard the rumours."

"And yet you accused Eric of that as well."

"I know!" I cried out. "And I know now how wrong I was. I need to apologise to him. I wanted to on Monday but he was gone by the time I left the office. The receptionist told me he's on vacation for three weeks."

"He's in England."

"That's a long way to go." I observed.

"You've fucked him over, Sookie. I have no idea why he didn't just fire your ass on Monday and nor do I understand why he is so bothered about what you think of him. I appreciate that what he did ten years ago wasn't pleasant, and trust me I gave him hell at the time. But it was ten years ago. You need to grow up and put it all behind you."

"I'm trying, I really am. I just … I don't know. I think its because it's him."

"What does that mean?"

"I … I was completely in love with Eric as a teenager. I know most girls were, but I was infatuated with him."

"You didn't show it."

I snorted. "You mean just because I didn't throw myself at him like every other girl did? But I always knew I would never have him. I'd had so many fantasies about him turning up at my door and wanting me. So when it actually happened I really didn't know what to think. I think I knew it was too good to be true, but my body wouldn't listen to my mind. It was everything I wanted. And then first he ignores me and then I found out that it was all a bet and he didn't want me. It nearly destroyed me. I hardly left my room after that and I was afraid to return to Louisiana when I went to Stanford at the risk of seeing him."

I took a large swig of the wine. "But still, ten years …"

"I know. But I'd not seen or heard from him in that time, and it was something that always played on my mind. I used to dream about it. And I don't just mean having nightmares about it, but the actual act itself."

"No one's first is ever that great. Hell, I had sex with a man once and that quite simply was enough for me."

"But that's the point. It was great. I may have been a virgin but he was so gentle and caring. When I found out it was all a lie I was crushed, and I guess that has always stayed with me." I couldn't believe I was discussing my sex life with her.

Pam looked thoughtful. "And now? What do you feel?"

"Remorse mostly. I know that what I said to him was completely wrong, and I judged him badly. I need to apologise to him. I am so sorry for what I thought and said to him."

"That wasn't what I meant." Her voice was softer. "What do you feel towards Eric?"

That was a good question and one I did not know the answer to. "I don't know. He still gets to me so much but I don't know what that means. When I first saw him again in the car park I didn't know what to do. I felt anger as everything came flooding back, but there was more. I just don't know why. I should be able to put it behind me, but some reason I just can't."

"I don't think Eric can, either. I know that he has always felt remorseful for what happened. I tried to tell him that it didn't matter, that you would get over it, but he always seemed to carry it with him. Not that it ever altered his behaviour when it came to women, but I think it was always there."

We were both silent for a few minutes before I spoke up again. "What can I do?"

"That depends on what you want. I'm not too sure I want you anywhere near my brother considering the hurt you have caused him. I have never seen him so defeated after you spoke to him. It was out of character for him to run. And you are the only person he has run from. Twice. But I think the two of you need to talk and not in the work setting."

"I think you're right." Work was certainly not the place.

"I am. Give me your phone number. I'll see how he is when he comes back and I'll set the pair of you up so you can talk it out. Or fuck it out of your system. Whatever you need to do. But you will not hurt him further, and if you do I will destroy you."

I didn't doubt her. I wrote down my number on a scrap of paper and turned to leave her office. But I had one thing I needed to ask.

"What does he want? Of me, I mean."

She sighed. "I don't think he knows any better than you do. That's why he's in England. He needed to clear his head, to think things through. I told him he needed to get laid and hopefully he's following my advice." She was back to being a bitch again. "I'll call you when he gets back and you can apologise to him."

I walked out of her office so she would not see the tears that were starting to form at my eyes. Luckily the ladies was nearby so I popped in and sank down on the toilet seat as I wiped away my tears. Was Eric really sleeping his way through England? And why did I care? I had only seen him a handful of times over the last few weeks, but he was still getting to me. Why was this? I was glad, however, that Pam would arrange it for the two of us to talk. It was needed, that was for sure.

I exited the bathroom after again having to reapply my mascara and went over to the table where Alcide was waiting for me. I was hoping he wouldn't be too pissed off with me, but all I wanted was to go home. And I wasn't particularly sure that I wanted to see him again. However as I approached our table I noticed that my seat was now taken by a brunette. She looked a little bit skanky for my liking and was wearing far too much make-up. She also had her hands across the table in Alcide's. I assumed she was his ex, Debbie. I was right.

"He's mine, you know."

I'd been told by Alcide earlier that they had split, but I wasn't going to argue. She could have him. The only thing I could think of is why Eric would be interested in her. I smiled sweetly at her.

"That's fine. Alcide told me all about you guys, and you probably should be together. Alcide and I are just here as friends. Though I could do with a ride back to Bon Temps if that's okay?"

Alcide looked at me a little funny and then squeezed Debbie's hand. "You don't mind me dropping Sookie back? I can meet you back at my flat?"

"Sure. I'll see you there." She glared at me once more and then Alcide led me outside after paying our bill.

"You didn't have to do that." He said once we were outside.

"That's okay, you two look like you have stuff to sort out. You seem to still love each other."

"Debbie and I have broken up more times than I can remember. I often think that killing her may be the only way I could get rid of her! But I do love her. I thought maybe this time it might be the end, what with her flaunting Northman in front of me. But she confessed that she said that just to make me jealous. She knows I never liked the man."

I was strangely relieved that Eric hadn't slept with her, but was appalled by all the lies that seemed to be told. I needed to get away from this. We didn't talk much on the journey home and luckily he didn't ask me about my conversation with Pam. Once back in Bon Temps he dropped me home and I said good night, escaping out of my seat before he had chance to say anything else.

Amelia and Tray were still up when I got back, and I told them about the evening, although I may have been a little light on telling them all about my conversation with Pam. I excused myself to bed and laid thinking about the night yet again. I wondered what Eric was doing. Who he was doing. But then decided it was probably best not to think about it. I still had two weeks until he made his return to Louisiana and there was nothing I could do until then.

.

The rest of the week went without incident. I was working hard and spending upwards of ten hours in the office each day, meaning that when I did get home I was too exhausted for my mind to wander. On the Sunday Amelia and I had planned a girls day, although we were unable to get rid of Tray despite our best efforts.

In the morning we baked cookies and home-made bread while gossiping like old women about the various people we had known while at college. We talked a fair bit about Bill and I told her all sorts of sordid secrets about him, much to her extreme amusement. She almost breathed in her drink when I demonstrated some of his more bizarre sexual noises.

Amelia had also convinced me to let her wax my legs, something I'd never done before. I'd spent the week wearing pant suits so I could allow a little growth on my leg hairs – I was normally a shaving girl as I never quite got why I'd want to pay someone a fortune to cause me extreme pain. Apparently I was willing to let Amelia do it for free.

We'd bought hot wax strips and were sat in the bathroom as I let Amelia torture me. She was having far too much fun with this. As was Tray who was laughing loudly and taking photos until I threw a soaking wet sponge at him. I got him right in the chest and completely soaked his t-shirt. Amelia doubled over laughing but ripped off one of the strips on my leg as she did so causing me to scream in pain, shock and surprise.

As Amelia applied another strip there was a loud knock at the door. I was in no position to move.

"Tray, can you get that?" I yelled.

He grumbled something having taken his wet t-shirt off and headed off to the door. Amelia pulled another strip of my leg but I managed not to scream this time. Tray came back about a minute later.

"Who was it?" I asked as Amelia again ripped the hairs off my increasingly red leg.

"No idea. He said it was the wrong house."

He? Who was it? "Um, what car was he driving?" Amelia eyed me suspiciously. It couldn't be Eric. He was still in England and Pam would have known if he was back and called me.

"Some black SUV or other. Didn't really get a good look at it." Not Eric's car then. I felt relieved.

I noticed Amelia wink at him and at the same time as she ripped the hot wax off me Tray took another photo.

"I hate you!" I cried "We're not doing this anymore!"

"We are, missy. You still have another leg to go and not to mention you bikini line!" She winked at Tray again.

"Oh no. I am not letting you anywhere near my bikini line. No thank you very much!"

Half an hour later and a whole tub of moisturiser later I had lovely smooth legs. I had been a little disturbed at quite how much pleasure Amelia took from ripping the hairs from my body, but I was even more disturbed when she started waxing Tray's chest.

I sent them to their own room. That was not something I wanted to witness.

After cooking a large meal for the three of us I sat down with Amelia and Tray to watch the _Back to the Future _trilogy, although I was falling asleep by the time we were half way into the second film. Once Amelia woke me I headed to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Only one more week and I could see Eric.

* * *

;)

?


	13. Chapter 13

_So here we have Eric ...Does he turn up at her door?  


* * *

_

**Eric**

I lasted eleven days.

I'd been in England for less than two weeks of my originally planned three and I found myself on a plane back to Shreveport. Via New York and New Orleans. Fucking airline strikes. At least this time I had a first class seat.

After my evening with Sarah and Steve I checked out of the hotel the next morning and rented a large BMW for my driving tour. I threw my bag into the spacious boot and punched the first postcode into the sat nav. I'd booked a few hotels and had a rough itinerary, but I'd just see where the wind took me. After taking a few days down in the south-west and spending time walking the coastal paths and climbing the moors, I drove further north and into Wales and then onwards into the Peak District.

I never allowed myself to settle anywhere, just simply spending one or two nights in a hotel somewhere, seeing the sights and then moving on. I generally avoided the larger cities, but stopped in Manchester to watch a soccer game before heading further east and into rural Lincolnshire. After visiting the North Yorkshire Moors, Dales and the Lake District I could take no more.

Not that I wasn't enjoying myself, the clean fresh air was invigorating and certainly gave me the space to think, but I didn't want to be there on my own. After having a little fun dancing with Hadley in London I never did meet any other girls. Well, I met a few and some certainly flirted with me, but no one caught my attention. No one else came close to Sookie.

I needed to talk to her. I needed to know whether there was anything between us or whether this shit I was feeling was just on my side. I needed to do something about it.

I was still pissed at her for assuming the worst of me and making those allegations against me, but I came around to an understanding that she was obviously mislead and based her assumptions on our rocky past. Maybe we needed to wipe the slate clean, but then I wasn't sure that was even possible. She had been perfectly clear that she would not forgive me for the way I treated her as an eighteen year old and she wanted us to avoid each other. I just wasn't sure that I could.

I'd contacted the airline and booked my flight home before I really knew what I was doing. I'd not given myself a huge amount of time to return to Heathrow and I may have broken a few traffic violations on my journey south. I got rid of the car and to the desk just in time to catch my flight to New York, and once on the plane settled down into my seat with thoughts of Sookie.

I'd enjoyed my time alone and I couldn't remember ever having such a long time when I was alone. It gave me the time to refocus and rethink a few things. I'd become obsessed with work, working over a hundred hours per week and I had little time for anything else. It was no surprise that I hadn't had a girlfriend since college. Sure, there were girls that I'd fucked regularly – Sophie-Anne being one of them – but none I would call a girlfriend. Was this something that I craved? One thing I did know was that I was going to change things. If it meant hiring more people to work for me, then so be it. I was not going to work so much. I needed some time for me.

The plane touched down in New York fairly late in the night so I'd booked into a hotel to sleep before continuing my journey back to Shreveport. I'd not been in contact with Pam or anyone else during my trip. Pam could have called me if she was worried about me, but since she didn't I was in no mood to speak to her.

I finally got back to Shreveport at one in the afternoon. It was a Sunday so at least she wouldn't be working. All I could think of was seeing her and talking things through. I dropped my bags off at home, showered and changed before hitting the road to Bon Temps. Assuming that she'd not had her driveway fixed I decided not to take my corvette for fear of damaging her, but instead drove my black BMW SUV.

I had to give myself a pep talk on the journey to Bon Temps as for some unknown reason I was feeling ridiculously nervous at seeing her. Eric Northman does not do nervous. But then what if her and Herveaux had hit it off? Sure, I may have been of the opinion that I would be able to move on if she got with him, but at that point I wasn't so sure. This woman was going to be the death of me. She had me in knots and I was normally the smooth one.

I stopped at the bottom of her lane to compose myself once more before driving slowly up her still poorly gravelled driveway. I made a mental note that if Sookie and I did become friends I would pay to have her driveway fixed.

I got out of the car and approached the house but just as I was about to knock a heard a scream from within. My breath caught and an anxiousness came over me, but it didn't sound like a scream of pleasure. I hoped, anyway. I calmed my nerves again and knocked at the door loudly.

"Tray, can you get that?" I heard from within.

It was definitely Sookie's voice and I was guessing that Tray was not of the female persuasion. I felt sick to the stomach. I turned to look at my car, did I have enough time to escape before the door opened? I'd managed one step in the direction of my car before the door did open.

"Can I help you?"

The man that had answered the door, obviously Tray, was wearing only a pair of jeans with bare feet and no shirt. He was probably a few inches shorter than me but fairly muscled. I found myself wondering whether I could take him. It had been quite a few years since I had been in a fight, however.

But I was in no place to speak to Sookie like this. If she knew at all that I had gone she knew that I was away for three weeks. I had fucked up any chance I might have had by leaving, and she'd found someone else. Although I had to admit to being a little surprised at quite how fast she moved.

"Um, no. I think I have the wrong house." It was a crap line. Who the hell had the wrong house in these parts. Luckily he seemed to buy it.

"Okay, man."

I turned quickly and got into my SUV, relieved when I heard the door shutting behind me. I drove a little too fast out of her drive and probably made a few more holes in her already shoddy driveway. I was tempted to return to Shreveport, and I probably should have, but for some reason I couldn't go back there. I wanted to be close to her, to be across the cemetery.

I felt hurt that she had moved on so quickly, but why? There was nothing between us, and barring the contact we had when I first met her in the lobby of my office I hadn't touched her in over ten years.

There was little food in the house but I found a pizza in the freezer and heated it up despite not feeling too hungry. I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt at a loss. I had worked myself up to talking to her but bailed at the first hurdle. I spent a the rest of the day working on the garden, the physical activity distracting me from the pain that was growing within me. I considered numbing said pain with alcohol but I wanted to remain clear headed. I needed to think this through. I needed to come up with an alternative plan.

Once I could no longer see what I was doing in the garden I went back into the house, exhausted and took a shower before falling into my childhood bed. I could not remember the last time I had spent a night in this house, though I had a feeling it might have been in the weeks following my encounter with Sookie. I had bought my own place in Shreveport after that as I was to ashamed to see her and didn't want her to have to avoid her home on my account. I had even spoken to her Gran and told her that I wouldn't be around anymore hoping that she would tell her granddaughter. I had a feeling that that message was never passed on.

I did not sleep well despite my exhaustion and woke up at five a.m. the next morning but was not able to return to sleep. Instead I got up and worked out in the gym for half an hour before heading out for a run as soon as the sky began to lighten. I left my house and instinctively ran into the cemetery and towards Sookie's house. This had always been the route I had taken when I was younger and I did not want to deviate.

I stopped briefly at my parents' headstone and said a silent prayer before I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of a male yelling 'Sookie'. I turned my head in the direction of the sound – Sookie's own house – and my feet walked in that direction with little guidance from my brain. As I reached the line of trees that stopped at her property I was greeted by Tray again who was running towards the cemetery and looking a little panicked.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as soon as he stopped and saw me, obviously recognising me from the previous day.

"I live across the cemetery." There was no point lying.

"Tray!" a female voice yelled from behind that was not Sookie. "She's not here. I'm sure she's gone somewhere."

The female with shoulder length chestnut hair came running up to Tray and put her hand on his arm. I could not help but raise an eyebrow.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked bluntly.

Before I could open my mouth Tray answered. "This is the guy that turned up yesterday."

"Fuck!" Amelia shouted, turning briefly before turning back to me and giving me the once over. "Tell me you're not Eric Northman."

"That would be me. Why? What's going on? Where's Sookie?"

"Fuck!" The girl was eloquent. "Why didn't you speak to her yesterday?"

Her question caught me off guard so I chose not to answer it. "And you are?"

"Amelia Broadway. This is my husband Tray Dawson." Fuck, indeed. "We're staying with Sookie since we moved over from San Francisco due to _your_ relocation of Rasul Clancy Pharmaceuticals."

So that would be how Sookie knew about the take over.

"Fine. Whatever. Where is Sookie?"

"No idea. She didn't realise it was you at the door yesterday. Aren't you meant to be on vacation or something?" I didn't answer but glared at her to continue. "We had a normal evening last night but she woke us at two in the morning yelling at Tray to tell her what the person who'd been at the door looked like. He told her and we went back to sleep. This morning she was gone."

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Of course I fucking have! But she didn't take her bag with her and ran out of the house leaving the door wide open. That's not like Sookie."

The question was, where did she go. "You don't think she went to work?"

"Unlikely. Not without her bag and phone, but really no idea."

I pulled my phone out of my shorts pocket and hit the number for the security guard at my office building.

"Dean, it's Eric. Just a quick one, has Sookie Stackhouse shown up this morning yet?"

"Cute blonde with a yellow car? Nope, not seen her."

I thanked him and hung up. "No. she's not there. I don't get why she'd run off. Where was she planning on going?"

"I think the question is 'who was she planning to see', and that, idiot, is you."

"What?"

We were interrupted by Tray before Amelia had chance to go on. "Guys, forget about arguing, shouldn't we be looking for her?"

"You're right." I was planning on taking control of this. I needed to see her, to know she was okay. "Let me go and grab my car. We should split up, but one of you should stay here in case she comes back. Give me your phone numbers."

We all exchanged numbers with Tray being the one to stay at the house while Amelia took her car. I literally sprinted back around to my house not bothering to change and jumped into my SUV. We had each agreed on different roads to take but were all of the opinion that she was probably heading to Shreveport. As I drove I could almost hear my heartbeat echoing around the car. I was driving much slower than normal towards Shreveport, my eyes pealed for any sign of her car. I was suddenly grateful that she had such a distinctive car even if it was a death trap. Not that that thought did me any good either. After around twenty minutes my phone rang and I answered it immediately. It was Amelia.

"I found her car."

"What? Is she in it?"

"No." She let out a slight sob. "Her keys are gone but the door was wide open, her lights still on."

"Where are you? I'll come and meet you." She gave me directions and I span around on the highway in an illegal move and sped quickly to where she was.

I easily found where Amelia had called me from and found Sookie's car pulled over at the side of the road. I examined the car but found no evidence that she had hit anything or was injured.

"Where could she have gone?" Amelia asked, though neither of us knew the answer. I shut the door of Sookie's car loudly in frustration.

"We should call the police."

She snorted. "They won't do anything. You have to be missing for twenty-four hours before they'll lift a finger."

"I'll fucking make them!" I shouted getting increasingly agitated.

"Calm it, would you? Why are you even here?"

"I needed to speak to her. We didn't leave things on a good standing between us." That was certainly an understatement.

"Regarding you fucking her in a cemetery for a bet?"

I glared at her, my anger growing. "No," I growled. "There were some other things said." I gritted my teeth to stop me from saying something I might regret. This witch was Sookie's friend after all.

"It was Jason that told me." She confessed as she sensed my anger. I felt my mood lighten slightly.

I wanted to state my case to her but all the time Sookie was missing. "We're wasting time here. She must have gone out on foot. Let's continue driving."

I was relieved to get away from Amelia but becoming more and more concerned about Sookie's whereabouts. I drove slowly in the inside lane along the highway as Amelia took one of the more rural routes with a promise to call each other if we found her.

As I got closer and closer to Shreveport I began to feel that I probably wouldn't find her, but as I looked out of my right window I saw what I was sure was a blonde head on the floor. I slammed on my brakes, glad that nothing was behind me, and pulled over at the side of the road. I jumped out and sprinted to where I thought I'd seen her.

"Sookie!" I yelled as I ran in that direction but the head did not move. As I got closer I realised it was her.

"Sookie? Can you hear me?" I checked her vitals and when satisfied that she was breathing, albeit shallowly, I checked her over looking for obvious signs of injury but I could see none. She didn't move an inch.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and called an ambulance, telling them my location and the details. I didn't want to move her in case of injury that I had not seen, but she was freezing cold. I ran back to my SUV and grabbed a blanket out of the boot to keep her warm until help arrived.

It was probably only five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime and I was going out of my mind by the time that the ambulance arrived.

"I found her here. She went missing some time this morning and we found her car abandoned about ten miles south. She must have walked here."

"Thank you, Mr Northman. Can I ask how you know her?" I hadn't given my name but he obviously knew who I was.

"She's a friend. She has a house next to mine in Bon Temps, hence how I know she was missing."

After the paramedics checked her over they attached to a gurney and loaded her in to the back of the ambulance. She was still unconscious. They informed me which hospital they were taking her to and I was going to follow the ambulance there. As soon as I drove off I called Amelia.

"Have you found her?" Her voice was frantic.

"Yes, she was ten miles up the highway. She's unconscious though."

"Have you called an ambulance?"

"Of course I fucking have. I'm on my way to the hospital now." I gave her the details and she told me her and Tray would meet me there.

When I got there I helped the nurses with the paperwork and gave them the health insurance details I knew she had through the company scheme. Once Amelia and Tray arrived we were moved to a more private waiting room and I paced around the room while we waited for news.

"Will you quit that, you're making me seasick."

I sank down heavily into the seat and leaned my head against the wall as I stared at the ceiling. I felt in a complete mess. Just twenty-four hours earlier I'd been travelling back to Louisiana following my stay in England and now I was sat in a hospital waiting room. I hated that it was my fault she was on the highway walking. Where was she even heading? If I had actually stayed and talked to Tray the day before she would have no doubt spoken to me then. But instead I left and she tried to come after me.

"It's not your fault."

"What?"

"That she left home, it's not your fault. We should have known something was up when she barged into our room at two in the morning asking to know what the caller looked like."

"I should have told Tray who I was, who I wanted to see. I just … I just saw that the door was answered by some guy not wearing a shirt and I assumed the worst."

Amelia was looking at me with a strange expression so I took to staring at the ceiling again and its 104 tiles.

"You're obviously both pretty keen to talk. Sookie's been odd these last two weeks. She's been pretty quiet and working all hours under the sun. What happened?"

I didn't really want to tell her but luckily we were interrupted by the doctor coming into the room.

"You're Sookie's friends?" We all confirmed that. "I'm Dr Ludwig, her treating physician. She's awake now but she's still exhausted. She had to have surgery on her fractured ankle and otherwise apart from tiredness she's okay." I hadn't even realised her ankle was broken, she must have tripped or fallen along her journey. My guilt increased.

"Can we see her?" Amelia asked.

"She's been asking to see Mr Northman." Amelia looked a little put out. "But I'd rather you didn't spend too much time with her, she needs her rest."

I stood up to follow the doctor but turned to Amelia. "I'll let her know you're here."

The doctor led me down a network of bright white corridors until we were at a private room. I took a deep breath as the doctor opened the door for me to go in. Her eyes were on me instantly and she almost looked she didn't believe I was really there. I could see she was tired and emotional but she still looked beautiful even in the hospital gown.

I walked up to her and sat at her bedside. I wanted to hold her hand but I wasn't sure she'd let me. "How are you feeling?" I asked to break the silence.

"Sore and tired. Eric, I …"

"It's okay. Really."

"No. I need to apologise to you. What I said … I was horrible to you. I had no reason or right to talk to you in that way. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

I already had. Seeing her lying there – nothing else mattered. "Sookie, I don't blame you for what you said. You were misguided, I get that. And lets be honest, I've never given you any reason to trust me or think well of me."

"But you left for England. I obviously hurt you." Pam had a large mouth.

"I can't deny that I wasn't upset at the time, but I've had time to think things through. I just … I just can't seem to get you out of my head. Ever since I first saw you again … it's …. it's difficult, I know. We have a history. If I could go back I would do it differently. I never meant for you to get hurt. I'm sorry."

I hung my head and I felt her hand reach for mine. "It was ten years ago. I know I need to put it behind me. I guess I never quite forgot you and therefore could never forget what happened. Seeing you again just brought it all back."

We sat in silence for a while, her hand still in mine. "Where were you heading?" I asked softly.

She smiled slightly. "Honestly? I wasn't sure. When Tray said there was someone at the door my first thought was of you, but then I knew you were in England and when Tray said you were driving a black SUV I guess I just assumed it wasn't you. I woke up this morning with the sudden realisation that I hadn't asked what the caller looked like. When Tray described you I freaked out. I pulled on some clothes and started heading towards Shreveport. I didn't even think about the fact that I didn't know where you lived. And then my crappy car broke down."

"And you started walking?"

"Crazy huh? It was dark and my flash-light kept out cutting out on me. After I'd been walking a few miles I tripped over and hurt my ankle. I tried to go on but I think I must have passed out. The next thing I know I wake up here."

"You walked further than you thought. Your car was around ten miles away."

"How do you know?" Her blue eyes were large as they stared up at me.

"I found you. I'd gone out for a run when I heard Amelia and Tray calling for you and I joined in the search. I'm just relieved that you're okay. I'd been imagining the worst." I looked up at the clock – I'd been with her for fifteen minutes. "Your friends are worried about you, I should probably get them. I'm glad you're okay Sookie. I'll call Damon to tell him you'll be off for a few weeks though you'll need to get a doctor's note."

"Thank you, Eric."

"That's okay. Just concentrate on getting better." I leant down and kissed her head softly before leaving her room.

I felt emotionally drained as I somehow navigated my way back to where Amelia and Tray were waiting.

"She wants to see you guys. She seems fine, just shaken and tired. I'll probably see you around."

I tried to smile but I had a heavy heart as I left the hospital building. I had no idea what this meant for us now. We'd said our apologies and accepted each others. But I still felt like something was missing.

But I knew what that was. It was her.

* * *

_?_

_So what now?_


	14. Chapter 14

_Sorry for the delay - been a little busy this week and evenings just don't seem to be long enough after work!_

_Thanks for sticking with me and all your reviews, alerts and favourites. It makes me happy!_

* * *

**Sookie**

I was feeling like shit. My body was in pain and my ankle was killing me not to mention the fact that the urge to sleep was strong. But I wanted to know where Eric had gone. Was he coming back? I hadn't wanted him to leave as quickly as he did, there was so much more I wanted to say to him. Amelia and Tray walked in a few minutes after Eric had left.

"Sookie!" She yelled far too loudly from the doorway of my room. "Shit, are you okay? We were so worried about you." She came up to me and gave me a half hug which was all she was able to do from my position on the bed. I noticed that she had tears prickling at her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." Amelia and Tray sat down on either side of me on the chairs provided. Amelia sat in the seat that Eric had vacated. "Where's Eric?"

"He's gone home, honey."

I felt a huge lump form in my throat that seemed to be spreading through my chest. "Oh," was all I could manage. I took some deep breaths to try and calm myself.

"Are you okay?"

"My ankle kills, but I'm fine other than feeling exhausted."

"That's not what I meant. Things with Eric …," her voice trailed off.

"Are complicated." I answered for her.

Tray got up to excuse himself obviously giving Amelia and I some girl time alone. He kissed me softly on the head as he left, just as Eric had done. Amelia looked at me for a few moments before continuing with her questioning of me. "Why did you run off like that?"

"I don't know what got into me, I just knew I had to see him. I think I was almost on autopilot. All I've been thinking of over the last two weeks was what I would say to Eric if I saw him. I'd geared myself up for seeing him when he came back after his three weeks so it didn't even register that he could be at my door. I guess I kind of freaked out when I realised it might be him."

"What happened between you guys?"

"I … I … It's hard to explain. I fucked up. I said some horrible things to him based on untruths. I shouldn't have even spoken to him that way if what I accused him of was true. I just hope I haven't screwed things up."

"Sook, I hate to say this, but what exactly was there to screw up?"

"I don't know. It's hard to explain. I just feel something for him. I don't know why or what it is, but its there. It's like there's some kind of connection between us."

"Maybe you need to give him a chance. Sort your shit out. Sook, he was really concerned about you this morning, I could see the look of terror in his eyes when we found your car without you in it. He obviously cares about you as well."

"As well as what?"

"Fuck, Sookie! Will you just admit that you care what he thinks? I mean you went running out the house at 2 in the morning to find him when you didn't even know where he lived and then walked for ten miles in the dark when your car broke down!"

She had a point. "You're right. It's just with everything that has gone on between us and what I said to him …. I just don't know what to do."

"All you can do is take it a day at a time and see where it leads you. Give yourself a chance. I don't like what he did to you, but it's obvious he's sorry about what happened and he also cares about you. And he is most certainly fuckhot. If I wasn't married you'd have some serious competition on your hands!"

I smiled at Amelia. She'd only ever had eyes for Tray since they first met and I could not imagine a more perfect couple. I wanted the relationship that they had – I certainly never had it with Bill. We chatted amiably until Dr Ludwig came back in to say that visiting hours were over for now and Amelia and Tray left me alone. It didn't take long for me to drift off into a deep sleep.

I must have been asleep for a few hours, and after eating the surprisingly edible hospital food I was flicking through TV channels when Amelia came back with a change of clothes for me and a few home comforts – my bag and phone being two important ones. All of a sudden a panicked thought went through me and I started looking through my possessions.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"What about my car? It's left at the side of the road. Can one of you pick it up? Though I have no idea where my car keys are. Fuck!" My car keys were no where to be seen.

Amelia smiled and I frowned at her. "It's been dealt with."

"Thank you so much. Did you do that earlier?"

"No. _I_ didn't do anything."

"What?"

"It seems lover-boy took your keys earlier and arranged for your car to be taken to a garage in Bon Temps to be fixed. He texted me earlier to say that your car will be fixed and ready to be picked up tomorrow."

I was stunned. He'd done that for me? And more to the point he texted Amelia? "You have his number?"

She let out a guffaw. "I wondered if you'd pick up on that one. We exchanged numbers when we went looking for you. So yes, I do. And I may also have programmed his number into your phone." She shot me a sly look.

"Thanks. I guess I should thank him though. Stupid car – I've been considering getting a new one for ages I was just trying to save up. I hope it's not cost him too much, I'll have to write him a cheque." I said almost more to myself.

"Sook, I don't think Eric's going to let you pay."

"But I have to! I appreciate what he's done and all but I can't accept his charity."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Fine, but I think you'll piss him off if you're ungrateful."

"I'm not ungrateful! But I want to do things on my own. I don't need his help or his money."

Amelia held her hands up in defeat. "Sookie, you are one seriously complicated woman. What about the promotion he obviously had nothing to do with? You can take that but you won't accept him looking after your car when it was him you went running to see?"

I didn't know how to answer. I had a feeling Amelia was right but I didn't want to accept it.

She continued. "Seriously, girl, you're going to give yourself whiplash."

We were interrupted by a knock at the door and my head shot up off the pillow hoping and praying that Eric's large frame would be filling the door. I was disappointed to see the much smaller frame of Sam Merlotte in the doorway almost being dwarfed by the bouquet of multicoloured flowers of various varieties that he was carrying.

"Sam." I stated simply. There were others from work I would much rather see.

He bounded into the room and thrust the flowers into Amelia's arms as she stood up. "Sookie! We're all so worried about you. Are you okay?" He sat down into the chair the opposite side to Amelia as she placed the flowers on the table in the window.

Why were they worried. "What do you mean?"

"Well you were told you were in a car accident." He looked strangely at me.

I smiled briefly, Eric had obviously spun the truth slightly. "I was, but it wasn't that bad. I've broken my ankle and had to be pinned, but apart from being a bit shaken I'm okay."

"That's good, when Damon said you'd been an accident we were all worried about you, but we did a whip around and the flowers are from all of us." It was actually quite nice to work somewhere where there was a good camaraderie.

I noticed Sam looking towards Amelia and I realised I hadn't introduced them. "Sam, this is my old college friend and room mate Amelia, Amelia, my boss Sam."

They both shook hands over me and I looked to Amelia silently begging her not to leave me alone with him. She smiled and sat back down firmly in her seat. I telepathically thanked her.

"But Sookie, I am no longer your boss since you got your promotion."

"I guess so."

I didn't quite know what else to say and an awkward silence fell between us. I could tell that Amelia was highly amused by the situation and on more than one occasion I noticed Sam trying to get Amelia's attention to obviously kick her out of the room. I certainly owed my friend for this one.

"So, Sooks," Amelia began completely ignoring Sam, "did you hear Tray screaming when I pulled the wax of his chest? I think he screamed more that you did."

I couldn't help but burst into laughter at the inappropriate conversation she launched into. "Meals, I'd imagine the whole of Bon Temps heard him scream. I'm surprised I didn't have Andy Bellefleur knocking at the door wondering what the hell was going on!"

"It's a good job that your nearest neighbour didn't come knocking on the door at least." She smirked at me. Eric had obviously stayed at his parents old house that night hence him seeing Amelia and Tray the next morning.

"I am." I shot Amelia a look to shut up but she simply laughed at me.

The room descended back into silence as Amelia and I had a silent battle of wills in which one of us was going to burst out laughing first. Luckily Sam spoke up again. "So, Sookie, when do you think you'll be able to return to work?"

"I'm not really sure. Hopefully I'll get to go home tomorrow, but the doctor told me I'll need some physiotherapy and I'm not going to be able to drive for possibly two months or so."

"Well, Damon said that when your friend called in you'd probably be off for six weeks or more."

"That may be the case, I don't really know."

"It' s just that although you may get a few weeks sick pay you won't get paid for all that period." it was quite sweet for him to be concerned. Though any more sugar and I may have thrown up.

"Oh I'm sure she'll get full pay for the whole time." Amelia pipped in. I wanted to slap her.

"And what do you know?" Sam snapped at her. Amelia's shocked expression was a picture. "I'm just trying to warn you."

"Thank you, Sam. I wouldn't expect to get sick pay for the whole time." I shot a look at Amelia who was smirking at me again.

After another period of awkward silence Sam got up and excused himself, kissing me softly on the head as he went to leave. What was it with people doing that to me today, especially when Eric was the only person I wanted to being doing it. It was a far too familiar a gesture for Sam to do it.

Once Sam was out of earshot Amelia launched into her tirade. "Who the fuck was that pup? Seriously! He'd have rolled over on his back if you offered to rub his tummy. How can you work with him? He's an idiot."

"He's okay. Annoying, but okay."

"Whatever. Needs to be put down if you ask me."

We chatted a while longer before Tray came by to pick Amelia up and my tiredness was creeping back over me. Amelia promised to come by again in the morning and I hoped that the doctor was going to let me go home. I was surprised at how tired I felt considering I had napped during the day, but one of the nurses told me that the pain killers they'd been giving me were pretty powerful and were liable to make me drowsy.

I must have been tired as I seemed to wake up out of nowhere without really remembering trying to sleep the night before. I was given a breakfast that resembled flavoured cardboard but was reliably informed it was muesli. By no means was that my kind of breakfast but since I was feeling hungry I managed to eat it. I did wonder about how my insides were going to digest it though.

After I'd been awake for a few hours and one of the nurses had helped me hobble to the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash and deal with my needs, I was back in bed in time for Dr Ludwig to reappear with a bunch of fresh-faced and over-keen medical students. I groaned inwardly as Dr Ludwig appeared to speak to them in another language as she described my injury and the subsequent surgery. The students were battling amongst themselves to answer her questions and I rolled my eyes on more than one occasion at their eagerness.

"So, Ms Stackhouse," she said, finally acknowledging that I was in fact in the room. "how are you feeling this morning?"

"Sore, but more alive than yesterday."

"That's good. You can leave today but we'll need you to come back to the hospital twice a week for physiotherapy and you have an appointment with the surgeon in six weeks for a follow-up. And take it easy. You're not going to be able to use your ankle much so I'm afraid you're going to be housebound for a while unless someone is with you. Don't overdo things."

With that, the short doctor span and walked out of my room, her gaggle of followers parting in front of her and then following on her heels as she left the room. I wouldn't have been surprised to see them walk in pairs. The doctor had obviously relayed her instructions to one of the nurses as a couple of them came in to get me changed and ready to go home. I filled in the necessary paperwork, pleased that all the insurance details had been provided – another thing Eric must have done since it was his scheme that I would be claiming under. I was again really very grateful to him.

Amelia conveniently turned up to get me almost as soon as I was ready and I was placed into a wheelchair to be escorted out of the hospital while she carried the crutches which would be essential equipment until I could have the cast off my ankle. I'd been given my long list of instructions, medication and appointment times and I was guided to Amelia's car where she helped me get in.

An hour later we were back in Bon Temps and driving down Hummingbird Lane. It was good to be home – I had never been a fan of hospitals – although I wasn't overly keen of sitting around not working for six weeks plus. I wondered whether I might be able to work from home. Almost the first thing I had done when I returned to Louisiana was get a high-speed internet line installed into Gran's old house, and that should mean that I'd be able to work from my laptop at home.

As we pulled up the driveway I instantly noticed a difference. Where there used to be multiple potholes that I'd learnt to avoid there now seemed to be none, and the crunch of the gravel was richer than before. I frowned as Amelia stopped her car and Tray came out to help me out of the car.

I apparently had a new driveway. And my newly fixed and evidently valeted car was also sat in its usual spot.

"What gives?" I asked them as they helped me indoors.

"What do you mean?" Tray was a crap liar.

"The new driveway? I told you guys you didn't need to pay me rent, just for us to split the bills."

Amelia turned to me once I was sat down on the couch. "It wasn't us."

For a split second I couldn't think who else would do such a thing. But of course there was Eric. I just couldn't work out why the hell he would feel the need to re-gravel my driveway.

"Eric?"

"How did you guess?" Amelia replied rhetorically. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"I don't understand why he would do this. It's somewhat high handed of him to not even ask me first. It's my house, after all."

"You'll have to ask him that, I really don't know. But you did need it doing, you can't deny that."

"Well yeah, and I was going to get it fixed. But this is just ridiculous."

"You have his number, ask him."

She had a point. Tray had taken my things into my room, and I hobbled with the crutches up to my bed and collapsed down on to it. I hated the fucking crutches but at least my room was on the ground floor and I was certain that with a bit more practice I'd be getting around okay without them. I silently hoped that Amelia and Tray would stay with me until I was back on both feet as I had a feeling I'd be needing their help around the house. I was glad that Amelia was such a neat-freak as I was confident she wouldn't let the house get too dirty if I was unable to .

I grabbed my bag off the floor and picked up my phone, scrolling through the contacts list until I saw Eric's name. I must have been starring at my phone for ten minutes as I plucked up the courage to call him, resisting the temptation to hang up immediately.

"Northman here." It was a very formal answer, but I assumed he used this phone for work purposes as well.

"Um, Eric, it's Sookie." My heart was in my mouth as I waited for him to answer me.

"Sookie? How are you? Are you home?"

"Yeah, got back about a quarter of an hour ago. I just wanted to say thank you again for all you've done with rescuing me and calling the ambulance. I can't thank you enough."

"That's okay. I'm just relieved that things aren't worse than they are. Really don't worry about work, everything will be okay, I promise. And you'll get full sick pay …"

"No I won't."

"What? Sook, you will, I'll speak to …."

I interrupted him again. "No Eric. I don't want to be treated differently to anyone else. Sam Merlotte has already told me that I won't get paid and that's fine. Hell, this is my own fault."

"It's not your fault," he protested. "I should have talked to you the day before."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's my fault and I don't want any special treatment." I was aware that I was starting to be a little childish, but I couldn't stop myself. "And thank you for sorting out my car, please let me know what I owe you."

"Sookie …" he began but I ignored his tone and continued.

"And as for the driveway? What in God's name made you do that?"

"I have to admit to having my reasons." There was a smile in his voice but I petulantly ignored it.

"Eric, this is my house! My property! You don't have the right to come along and fix my driveway without even asking me! That's trespassing!"

"Sookie, I was just trying to help." His tone was almost pleading.

"I don't need your help. I don't need your handouts or your sympathy. I thank you for all that you've done for me but you don't need to be so god damn high-handed." My voice had been getting louder and louder as I spoke and I was almost shouting at him by the end of the sentence.

His end of the line was quiet accept for his shallow breath, but I was unable to hang up.

Eventually I heard him take a deep breath and he spoke up. "I'm sorry, Sookie. I was only trying to help you. I was concerned about you, but I appreciate that you don't need or want my help. I hope you have a speedy recovery."

The line went dead but I kept my phone foolishly to my face.

"You're an idiot."

I turned to look at Amelia stood in my doorway.

"Leave me alone, Amelia."

"You will be if you keep on treating people like that. He's done nothing but look out for you this last day or so but you can't be grateful to him. And you were so desperate to speak to him the other day to apologise for the last time you were rude to him. I'm not sure that you deserve him."

Amelia span on her heels and closed my bedroom door behind her. I laid back on my childhood bed and stared up at the ceiling that still held a few of the glow in the dark stars I'd stuck on as a young teenager. Gran had never let me paint it black as I would have liked to.

I wanted to paint it black now, and the mood I was in only reflected that.

* * *

_Anyone else agree with Amelia?_


	15. Chapter 15

_Thanks for the great response to the last chapter. Most people certainly agreed with Amelia._

_I'm rehashing some dialogue in this one, which isn't my normal style but I felt it was necessary._

_Thanks for reading._

* * *

**Eric**

As I got back into my SUV I made a mental check list of the things I wanted to do. The first thing was to retrieve Sookie's car and get it fixed. In my haste to attend to Sookie when I found her by the side of the road I had put Sookie's keys – which had been on the floor – in my shorts pocket and I hadn't removed them. I drove to Bon Temps and met with an old school acquaintance who now owned a garage there and I paid him well to get and fix Sookie's car so that it would be ready for her the next day. I sent Amelia a text to say that I was sorting out the car and asked her about getting it back to Sookie the next day. I'd have liked to have just bought her a new car, but I imagined that Sookie would consider that too much.

The other thing I wanted to do was get Sookie's driveway fixed. While In Bon Temps I called a trusted contractor I'd used a few times and he met me at Sookie's house. I told him I wanted it fixed that afternoon and luckily he had the time and stock to get it done there and then. I think he was grateful for the work and I paid him well for the short notice. I posted a note through the door of Sookie's house for Amelia so she knew what was going on and also further details on where Sookie's car was.

I had a couple of reasons that I wanted to get Sookie's driveway fixed. The first was that it could damage her car if she ever caught one of the deeper pot holes and, by connection, hurt her if she misjudged a pothole. The second and third reasons related to my own car. The reason Sookie had not spoken to me on Sunday was because I hadn't been driving my corvette, and the reason I hadn't driven the corvette was because of my selfish desire to not damage her on the shoddy drive. And by me not having the corvette, Sookie got injured. It was therefore perfect logic that I should pay to have it replaced. My final reason was that I wanted to see more of Sookie. I wanted to be able to drive my corvette up her driveway without risk of damage. Selfish, maybe, and certainly a little domestic, but I couldn't seem to help those thoughts.

Once things were sorted I headed back to Shreveport and went home for a quick sleep and a bite to eat. After waking I worked out in the gym for a few hours having seriously neglected my exercise routine while in England and eating too much nice food. I may have also increased my beer intake as well so I was certain that I'd put on more than a few pounds. Once showered and changed I jumped in the corvette to drive back to the hospital.

I stopped at an up-scale florist on the way and picked up a large bouquet of red roses and white gardenias with dark green foliage. I had to admit to not being a fan of flowers, but after speaking to the lady in the shop and giving a (brief) description of what I wanted to say, she made the bouquet up for me. I rested the flowers on the passenger seat and drove carefully to the hospital so not to damage them.

I was hoping that she was alone but I would not have been too concerned by her friends' presence as they would have probably let me speak to Sookie alone. However as I turned the corner towards Sookie's room I saw the figure of Sam Merlotte knocking at her door. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw him enter with his own gaudy and poorly thought out bouquet of flowers. I found myself thinking of ways to get rid of him from my company.

I crept closer to her room but staying out of sight and I listened to their awkward conversation. Merlotte actually had the cheek to tell her that she wasn't going to get paid. Sure, technically considering her length of service she would only get a few weeks tops and even that would be discretionary, but I fully intended on making sure she didn't lose money for an accident that was my fault. If I had not been so hot headed and jealous the day before and asked to see Sookie instead of bailing we would not have this problem.

I leaned against the wall knowing that Sookie would not want Merlotte to know of our relationship so I walked back toward the exit in defeat. I had hoped to have given her my flowers and for us to continue our talk in a place where she wasn't able to walk away. I walked up to one of the older nurses who had been watching my vigil outside of Sookie's room and handed her the flowers.

"Please give these to someone else." I smiled as kindly as I was able.

"They're beautiful flowers. Must have cost a fair bit."

I smiled, shrugged and started to leave.

"Red roses and gardenias," she stated. "They show conflicting emotions. The gardenia meaning purity and that you hold a sweet and secret love; the red roses showing a more passionate love, courage and respect."

"I hadn't really thought about it." I admitted.

"But which is it?"

I looked down at the older woman. She must have been in her early fifties but she had a kind face and a worldly knowledge I missed from my own life following the death of my parents.

"It's complicated."

"Maybe, but you obviously love her."

I didn't know what to say. Did I love Sookie? Was I even beginning to love her? We may have known of each other a long time, but we didn't really know each other. What we thought we knew of each other was based on misconceptions and half-truths. We had not spent any length of time together and certainly recently we only seemed to argue or piss each other off.

Love was something I had never really thought about, never considered. I'd always put all my attention into my career, working for the family business. I'd had sex with many nameless, faceless women for my own pleasure, but I'd never considered love. The longest relationship I'd ever had was the five months I'd been with a girl called Helena in my last year at Harvard. She was an attractive blonde and Swedish so maybe reminded me of the mother's situation in some ways, coming over to study in America. But I didn't love her.

I was brought out of my musings by the nurse speaking to me again. "I think you should be giving these to your girl instead of me."

"I can't. I should go."

I walked away from the nurse who still had the bouquet in her arms. As I looked back I could see her muttering something to herself and shaking her head. I got back to the car and picked up some groceries on the way back since I had very little in the house.

After eating and partly going through the excessively long list of emails in my inbox I jumped in the corvette and headed to Fantasia where Pam was scheduled to be working. I nodded to the doorman as I walked in and headed to the bar to order a beer before going back to Pam's office. I knocked gently before opening the door and walking in.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Was her polite response to seeing me when I sat down in the chair opposite her.

"I wanted to see my baby sister." I stated with a large dose of sarcasm.

"You're not meant to be in the country until next weekend. I repeat. What the fuck are you doing here?"

I leaned back into the chair and took a swig of the beer. "I couldn't stick it any longer. I needed to come back."

"This is because of her?"

"Yes. And I take it you've spoken to her while I've been gone."

"She told you that?"

"No, but she mentioned that I was in England and you were the only one that knew."

"So you have spoken to her then?"

"Briefly. She's in hospital."

"What the fuck did you do to her? If we're talking violence, mister, I'm pissed off that you didn't involve me."

"I didn't do anything to her. But I'd admit that it is my fault."

"Just tell me what happened."

I did just that and told her all about my trip to England and the events of the last two days. I'd never really been one to tell someone everything like that, even Pam, so it was difficult to be so honest and open with her. But I told her it all, including my trip later on to the hospital and my conversation with the nurse.

She sat quiet for a moment after I'd said my piece. "You are so fucking screwed."

"Thanks!" She was right though.

"I'm serious, Eric. I have no idea why the fuck you are still so worked up about that girl, it's really not healthy. I told her that the pair of you needed to get in a room alone and thrash it out. Whether that's purely through talking or screwing each others brains out, or both, but you need to move on. Get over it, Eric. Get over her. You're not one for being all mushy and buying girls flowers. I can't remember you ever buying any woman other than mom flowers. It's not you. Seriously, just find some girl here tonight and fuck her into next week. This emo lovey-dovey bullshit is not you and its all going to end badly."

"Pam, I can't walk away from her." I was almost whining. "Hell, I've tried. The girl in London was hot but I just couldn't do it. I want Sookie. I want her to be mine."

She rolled her eyes then got up to pour herself a drink before sitting back down behind the desk and regarding me. "She admitted to me that she was in love with you when you fucked her ten years ago and for that reason she was never able to forget you or what you did to her. What's your excuse?"

She'd told me she liked me back then, but been in love with me? But teenage emotions were different – did she even know what love was back then? Was it not just infatuation.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I've never really forgotten her. I can't explain it."

"You're a moron."

"Gee thanks, Pam. Your support is all so welcome." I got out of my chair and started towards the door until Pam stopped me.

"Sit, dear brother," I gave her a look and sat back in my seat. "You know that I am always on your side. But just let me say this, and you listen to me. You are going to get burned. The girl is irrational and she doesn't seem to know what the fuck it is that she wants. I thought that you didn't either, but you've obviously made up your mind that your want her. Just don't come crying to me when this ends badly."

"Duly noted." I spat.

"Eric," she scolded. She had a way of saying my name that made me sound like a naughty child. "I'll go with you on this, hell, we can have chats and braid each others hair if you want while you whine about how Sookie won't listen to you or accept the flowers you send her."

"Fuck off, Pam." I stood again.

"Sit the fuck down." She sighed then laughed slightly. "I'm sorry, this is just too much fun. You have my permission to rib me and take the piss should I ever fall for someone even half as hard as you have."

"Yes but there's no melting your heart, assuming you even have one. You are made of cold hard stone."

"I used to think you were. But your not, you're deep. You feel. There's love in you." She was pretending to urge and stick her fingers down her throat as she punctuated her words. "Fuck it, maybe I'm just a little jealous. But I'm just sure that she's going to fuck you over."

We were both silent for a while before Pam spoke again. "So what now?"

"I texted Amelia earlier, she's going to let me know when Sookie's home tomorrow and I'm going to go and see her. She's got a broken ankle, she can hardly run anywhere."

"True, but then you seem to be the one that does the running. To Europe, no less. Twice."

"What can I say, she's the only one that has ever affected me like this."

"And I can't say it's a good thing."

Pam and I spoke no more of Sookie for the rest of the evening but my mind kept on wondering to her. I sincerely hoped that Pam was wrong. Not just for the fact that I would never hear the end of it if she was right. Hell, she'd been known to put out a full page advert in a newspaper when she was right about something before and I wouldn't put it past her to commission a billboard if she was right about this. But I wanted Sookie. I wanted things to work between us. I wanted us to put our pasts behind us and start afresh.

Sookie had apologised for what she said to me and told me that she wanted to put it all behind her. I guess it wasn't too much of a surprise that me coming back into her life would bring up the past in the way it has. But her saying that she never forgot me, or telling Pam that she loved me before it happened, that was something else and it was something I wanted us to build on.

I was under no illusions that things would be easy for us. She had no reason to trust me and I had to work on that. I wanted us to get to know each other, go out places together, let her cook for me, let me cook for her. I wasn't about to just jump into bed with her again or force myself on her. I knew that that would take time, even if my balls would be decidedly blue by the time anything did happen. I had the feeling I would be starting a strong relationship with my hand.

I left the club around one in the morning and slept like a baby when I fell into bed. When I woke the next morning I ran for an hour on the treadmill before working some weights. I needed to keep my mind busy and exercise was always a good distraction. When it got close to eleven I showered and changed into my favourite pair of dark blue jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt. I was determined to look good for Sookie and I hoped I could again use her attraction too me for my advantage, albeit for very different reasons to last time.

Amelia had texted me to say that they were on their way back to Bon Temps with Sookie after she was discharged. I jumped into the corvette since her drive was newly gravelled and I didn't have to worry about her being damaged and I put my foot to the floor for the journey to Bon Temps. I had brought a change of clothes with me as I planned on staying at the house in Bon Temps so I stopped at the house and dumped my bag inside when my phone rang in my pocket.

It was a number I didn't recognise.

"Northman here."

"Um, Eric, it's Sookie." Fuck. She was phoning me? I wished I'd managed to get to her house earlier.

"Sookie?" I asked, stupidly. "How are you? Are you home?" I knew that she was, but I wasn't supposed to. I imagined that Amelia hadn't told Sookie she was helping me.

"Yeah, got back about a quarter of an hour ago. I just wanted to say thank you again for all you've done with rescuing me and calling the ambulance. I can't thank you enough."

My heart swelled at hearing her thanks and I felt like a giddy girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. I really needed to get a hold of myself. "That's okay. I'm just relieved that things aren't worse than they are. Really don't worry about work, everything will be okay, I promise. And you'll get full sick pay …"

"No I won't."

What? Did she really believe Merlotte over me? She must know that I would look out for her even if that did mean bending the rules slightly.

"What? Sook, you will, I'll speak to …."

She interrupted me again as I tried to explain. "No Eric. I don't want to be treated differently to anyone else. Sam Merlotte has already told me that I won't get paid and that's fine. Hell, this is my own fault."

"It's not your fault," I stated as firmly as I could. And it wasn't, she never should have been on that road to Shreveport. "I should have talked to you the day before."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's my fault and I don't want any special treatment." Why would she not let me help her? "And thank you for sorting out my car, please let me know what I owe you."

There was no way that I was going to let her pay for that. "Sookie …," I began but she cut me off again.

"And as for the driveway? What in God's name made you do that?"

I smiled thinking back to reason three. "I have to admit to having my reasons."

"Eric, this is my house! My property! You don't have the right to come along and fix my driveway without even asking me! That's trespassing!"

I was stunned into silence. I didn't know what to think or do about her stubbornness. Why could she not be grateful and accept it as a gift? "Sookie, I was just trying to help." I wasn't beyond having to plead with her.

"I don't need your help. I don't need your handouts or your sympathy. I thank you for all that you've done for me but you don't need to be so god damn high-handed."

She was shouting at me for trying to help her. And I was a fucking idiot. Pam was right. I could see the billboard now. Maybe she'd do the newspaper as well. I didn't know whether to hang up, try and reason with her or to speak further. I chose option three.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions that were swirling through me. "I'm sorry, Sookie. I was only trying to help you. I was concerned about you, but I appreciate that you don't need or want my help. I hope you have a speedy recovery."

I hung up the phone and stuffed it back into my pocket as I sat down on the steps that led into the house. I kept on waiting for it to ring again and after thirty seconds I pulled it back out of my pocket to make sure that it was still working, that I had a signal.

But she didn't call back.

It had been a cold thing to say to her and certainly a leaf out of Pam's book, but my sister was right. And she had been proven right in less than a day. I made a mental note to listen to her more in the future.

I must have sat staring at my phone for about an hour before it did ring. Although it wasn't Sookie. I answered anyway.

"How are you Amelia?" My tone lacked warmth.

"I think the question should be how are you."

I appreciated Amelia's concern considering I didn't really know her. "I've been better. She's really pissed off at me then?"

"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with her. You're the one that should be pissed off with her. I told her to not be ungrateful but she won't accept that she is"

"She called me high-handed."

"I heard, and I've told her she's an idiot. She's all over the place, I honestly don't think she knows what she wants. How can she be running after you to Shreveport one minute because she felt guilty about what she said to you, and then the next minute she's shouting at you again and being ungrateful when you try and help her. I can't keep up with her mood swings. She is just so stubborn."

I agreed completely with Amelia but I didn't know what else to say.

"Eric, are you okay? Maybe you need to see your sister or something."

I appreciated Amelia's kindness. "Trust me, Pam is the last person I want to see right now. It was only last night that she warned me I'd get burned by Sookie, and its hardly taken her long to prove Pam right. I'd done with it. I'm through. I'm going back to Shreveport and I'm going to avoid her like she initially requested of me. I don't need this shit." I was saying it more for my own benefit than for Amelia.

Amelia sighed on the end of the phone. "That's up to you Eric, I can't make you fight for her. She's an idiot and I've told her so. I think that she genuinely does like you but she's so conflicted right now. Maybe she just needs a little time to think things through."

"She can have all the time she wants. I'm done. Take care Amelia."

I hung up, picked my bag back up and drove too quickly back to Shreveport. Once home I deleted my recent calls from my iPhone in case I was unable to resist the temptation to call her back and I went for a long swim. I didn't really feel like eating but I forced down a quarter of a bowl of pasta with some god-awful sauce before I sat down in my office to seriously work on my emails.

I made the decision that since Sookie was not going to be at work due to her broken ankle that I would return to the office early. At least work would keep my mind occupied. I sent an email around to the exec team that I was planning on making an early return from vacation and arranged a meeting with each of them to discuss anything that had happened over the two weeks that I was gone.

It was a few days later that Pam put in an appearance at my home. She had interrupted me in the gym and knew me well enough to know that things were not good. I'd always been one to throw myself into work and exercise when things were bothering me, and as I wasn't gloating from things going well with Sookie or hadn't resorted to fucking anything in a skirt she knew I was in a dark place. She was surprisingly sympathetic to me and let me vent my anger without so much as a 'told you so'.

I knew that there had been rumours about my absence, amongst the exec team and the staff, but I refused to socialise with any of them. I worked hard and forced those beneath me to toe a hard line. I had become hard, cold and ruthless and I sacked more than one person in those first few weeks back from vacation.

Sam Merlotte was one of them and I had to admit to being pleased when I was presented with that particular opportunity. Cataliades had come to me with news of the fuck-up he had made with a client that would probably cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income and I was almost pleased at the lost revenue for the opportunity to get rid of him, even if it was Cataliades that got to do the honour rather than me. My CMO at least had been of the same opinion as me so I knew I wasn't biased.

I wasn't so impressed when Cataliades mentioned that Sookie had contacted him and wanted to work from home. I was more than tempted to not allow it as it wasn't normal company policy to let staff work from home, but with Merlotte's sacking the marketing department was going to be pushed so I allowed it as long as a close eye was being kept on what she was doing. I had to withhold laughing when Cataliades suggested that she may have wished to return to work due to her not receiving sick pay, but I allowed her normal pay to be reinstated.

It was a few days later when I was working that I noticed an email flash up in the right hand corner of my screen. I clicked on it to read it.

'Mr Northman, I hate to interrupt, but I thought you might like to know that Sookie Stackhouse and a friend are in the foyer waiting to see Mr Cataliades.'

The email was from Becky at reception and I smiled to myself. The girl was obviously very brave or very stupid considering the mood I had been in since my return. Without really thinking I shut my laptop, and started walking towards the elevator, checking my hair in the mirrored walls as I descended.

My problem was that I had no idea what the fuck to do when I saw her.

As the doors opened I noticed Sookie and Amelia stood in the centre of the room as they faced away from me. Cataliades was walking towards them from the opposite direction and her attention was focused on him rather than me. But she looked beautiful. She had her crutches under her arms and was dressed simply in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a tight red t-shirt that showed off her perfect and perky breasts to their full potential. It was hardly work attire and not hugely appropriate for coming into the office, but I officially loved that outfit.

I watched as Damon handed her a laptop bag which she immediately passed to Amelia to hold who walked away slightly to allow them some privacy. I saw that Amelia had seen me.

I took a moment to compose myself and I walked confidently into the centre of the foyer, my eyes anywhere in the room except on her.

"Amelia, how are you?" It came out flirtier than anticipated as I walked up to her and smiled.

"Good, thank you, Eric. Yourself?" She was flirting back. I loved this girl.

"Good. Care to step outside?" I winked at her and she smiled again. I could feel that Sookie's eyes were on me.

"Sure."

I placed my hand on the small of Amelia's back and led her outside but in a position that I could still see the back of Sookie through the glass doors. God her ass looked good in those jeans.

"How is she?" I asked when outside. I didn't want Amelia asking again how I was as I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her.

"Bad. She's been sulking around the house the last two weeks, but she refuses to call you. Well, to be fair she can't since she threw her phone against the wall and won't put your number into the new one I bought for her."

"She let you buy her a phone?" I said with venom.

Amelia let out a sly laugh. "I bought it for her but she made me accept the money from her. She's still being as god damn stubborn as ever. She's miserable but she won't talk about it. Whenever I bring you up she starts yelling at me. On more than one occasion she's tried to kick Tray and I out of her house."

"There has been an apartment ready for you guys for weeks." It was quite true. Once I'd met Tray and Amelia I realised who Tray was and they had been given a fully furnished apartment to move in to. In reality they probably only needed to stay with Sookie for a few days.

"I know, but I have no intention of leaving her alone right now."

"Thank you." I was grateful that Sookie had such good friends.

"Eric, if you talk to her …"

"No. She made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me."

"Oh don't you fucking start as well. I've had enough of this from her. The two of you need to get in a room together and talk like adults. Stop behaving like children. You're both fucking miserable."

Amelia and I had been so lost in our conversation that neither one of us had truly registered the sharp metallic sound of Sookie's crutches approaching us. I didn't know how much she heard, but she'd certainly heard the last bit. I looked her in the eye and saw her blue pools thick with emotion and I felt my chest constrict. I pulled my eyes away from hers.

I couldn't do this.

"I'll see you around, Amelia." I nodded to her and headed back into the building.

"Eric."


	16. Chapter 16

_Ok, bit of an epic chapter but I didn't want to split this._

_Thanks for reading._

* * *

**Sookie**

I was staring at my phone but it didn't ring or buzz or give any indication of life.

Why wouldn't he phone me back? He'd hung up on me after all. Why the hell did he think that he could change things about my land without even asking me? I didn't want his handouts or his charity just because he felt guilty about what he did ten years ago. I wasn't interested. I'd told him that I was trying to put things behind me, why did he not believe that I would. Why did he feel the need to keep on proving himself to me? And why does he have to be so high-handed about it? Fine, I get that he feels guilty, but trying to buy my forgiveness is just ridiculous.

Fuck it. I didn't want him to call anyway and I certainly wasn't going to call him.

I scrolled through the list of contacts and found his number that Amelia had programmed in. I was pissed at Amelia for doing that. She had no right to go through my phone. I was going to put a lock on it and not tell her the code.

I deleted his number, but somehow I didn't feel better about myself.

I must have been lying on my bed for around an hour following our conversation when I remembered that his number may still be showing in my recently dialled. I opened my phone again and there it was. No name this time, just the long list of numbers that when dialled in the correct order would contact his phone.

I threw my phone at the wall in frustration and watched as it smashed into bits. I never liked that phone anyway. Maybe I'd get myself one of those fancy ones with email, the internet and lots of random games.

Obviously hearing the crash that was my phone connecting with the wall, Amelia came rushing into my room.

"What the fuck was that?" I simply pointed at the pile of plastic and metal that was my phone and turned on my side away from her. "Did you phone him back to apologise?"

I sat up quickly. "What the fuck should I have to apologise for? He's the one that broke onto my property and changed things without asking me. I should have him arrested."

"You're unbelievable. He's gone out of his way to help you but you won't accept it. You should be grateful, he's saved you thousands of dollars but you're being a complete bitch about it! Did you even offer to pay him back?"

"He shouldn't have done it in the first place. I don't want his money! He can't just buy my forgiveness like that just because he feels guilty!"

She came and sat on the edge of my bed. "Sook, he's not doing it because he wants to buy your forgiveness. He's doing it because he cares about you."

"Bullshit."

"What? I don't understand you. Yesterday you went out at two in the morning determined to apologise to him because you were rude to him, you walked for ten miles, broke your ankle and were then rescued by him at the ass-crack of dawn when he went searching for you. He then sorted out your car and arranged for your dangerous driveway to be fixed. Tell me that that is not someone that cares about you?"

I didn't want to agree with Amelia, but she did have a point. But I just didn't know what I wanted from Eric. What I did know was that I wanted to be left alone.

"Amelia, please let me be. I don't want to talk it about it."

She rolled her eyes and got up off the bed. "You really are an idiot. And when he finds someone else that will treat him properly you're going to regret being such an ungrateful bitch." She walked out of my room and slammed the door as she left.

How dare she talk to me like that? She was a guest in my house, she had no right to treat me like that. I was seriously considering kicking her and Tray out.

About half an hour later I heard Amelia and Tray leave and I ventured out of my room. I grabbed a sandwich and a glass of sweet tea before retreating back to my room. Well I planned on doing that, only with the crutches I was unable to carry more than one thing at once and even that was difficult.

I resorted to carrying my sandwich in and then coming back for the drink, which wasn't so easy to carry. I ended up spilling at least half of the drink by the time I got to my room and I frustratedly hobbled back to the kitchen to get some paper towels and cleaning things to mop up the mess I had made. My mood was getting darker as I scrubbed and I ended up throwing the towels across the room and knocking over one of Gran's favourite vases.

I watched as it smashed into pieces yet I sat helpless on the floor. My ankle was beginning to really hurt and I knew I was overdue taking my painkillers. I tried to get up but I found I just didn't seem to have the strength or motivation to move an inch. The tears began to fall from my eyes before I knew what was happening, but I couldn't quite work out what I was crying about. I leaned against the wall of the hallway and felt sorry for myself. Things had truly gone to shit since I'd returned to Louisiana. I wished I'd never returned. At least that was I wouldn't have had to ever seen Eric Northman again.

In fact, it was all his fault. Things went so badly in my life because of him. If he hadn't fucked me over that summer as an eighteen year old I would have realised that Bill was a controlling douche and I could have found myself a better man. I might still have my own business and be living on the west coast with a couple of kids and a loving husband. Hell, I could even be still talking to Jason and Gran might not have died. But instead I was stuck back in Louisiana with a broken ankle, a crappy job and working for the man that caused my life to become a misery.

It must have been a few hours later that Amelia and Tray returned and my mood was even worse. Amelia screamed when she found me and called to Tray who carried me back into my room and deposited me on my bed. Amelia tried to talk to me but I took no notice of her and curled up into a ball on my bed waiting for her to get the hint and leave me the fuck alone.

I hardly moved from my bedroom for the next week or so. I ate very little despite Amelia's constant nagging and I went days without washing. Although with my ankle in heavy strapping it was very difficult to do anything other than a strip wash and since I'd refused Amelia's help with a bath or shower it was out of the question.

I just couldn't get why Amelia was taking Eric's side. She was supposed to be my friend. Why did she think I was the one in the wrong? He was no doubt fucking some floozy or other in his club, or restaurant or any other business that he owned in Shreveport. But why did I care? It didn't matter what he did now. It was of no concern to me who he was fucking. He'd hung up on me on the phone and refused to call me back or talk to me and now he was back working his way through the female population of Shreveport and its surrounding areas. I hated him, I hated constantly thinking about him and wondering what he was doing. I wished I could be in the office to at least have some understanding of what or who he was doing. Maybe I could ask Becky on reception to spy for me.

It was coming up to two weeks since my accident and I was going stir crazy. Tray was out all day at work working for BFF Eric Northman and Amelia had got the job at the Shreveport Times so spent a lot of the time at the office. But she still seemed insistent on spending as much time as possible with me.

From what I could tell Amelia and Tray were spending no time at all looking for alternative accommodation and I wanted my house and freedom back. I wanted to be able to wallow in my own misery and think of Eric without those two constantly interrupting me. I had threatened and even tried to kick them out on numerous occasions but they seemed to ignore me or not take me seriously.

The only time I really did spend any time with Amelia was when she drove me to the hospital for my physio appointments. I was appreciative that she took the time out to do it, but it irked me that I had to rely on her. I wished I had an automatic car, at least I may have been able to drive then.

I had spoken to Tara a few times and told her all about my recent trials with Eric Northman and she was much more sympathetic than Amelia who was still on Eric's side for some reason. She also took me shopping a few times and got me out of the house.

With my boredom growing I decided I needed to do something pro-active and pull my head out of my ass. Amelia was in the kitchen that evening so I hobbled into the room and sat down at the table. She eyed me suspiciously as I'd hardly spoken to her for a few days and I certainly hadn't been out of my room at dinner time.

"You okay?" She asked eventually.

"Bored. I hate being at home, I want to be doing something. I need to keep my brain active from thinking about stuff."

She raised an eyebrow. "Anything in particular that you're thinking about?"

I was tired of arguing with her about Eric. "Amelia, please drop it. I'm not going to contact him and I don't want to know what or who he is doing. I'm not interested."

"Sounds like you are to me."

"Will you quit it!" I was yelling again but Amelia was unperturbed.

"Sookie, you are miserable. You have been miserable ever since things got fucked up, hell, before that even. You're not going to get through this until you talk to him. I imagine he's just as fucking miserable as you are."

I snorted. "Unlikely. Remember that I know him better than you. He's no doubt fucking his way through Louisiana just as he did in England."

"You don't know that. And if you hate him so much why do you care who he's sleeping with?"

"I … I …" I had no answer. She sat down at the table with me.

"Sook, honey, I'm saying this as your friend. You need to speak to him. You need to sit down in a room alone together and talk all this out. You're making assumptions. You honestly don't know what he's doing and you're fearing the worst because it makes it easier to hate him. The fact is that he's probably hurting as much as you are. It is obvious he cares for you. But if you keep this up he is going to move on. I'll say no more, but you know my feelings." She stood up and carried on washing the vegetables in the sink. "But you're right that you need to do something. Why don't you call your boss and see if you can do some work from home. It's mostly computer based so you can do it from home, right?"

"That's a good idea." I smiled at her and she handed me some potatoes to peel which could be easily done from my seating position. That evening things almost felt back to normal. I ate with Tray and Amelia and I felt like my appetite had finally started to make a return. The fact was that despite my inactivity over the previous week and a half I had lost quite a few pounds to the point the come of my clothes didn't seem to be fitting me as well as they used to. I was a little disturbed that such a thing could happen in such a short period of time, but I knew that I had not been very healthy of late. We watched a few episodes of _The Wire_ and then I went to bed feeling happier for the first time in a while.

I woke the next morning feeling more refreshed. My dreams were still haunted by images of Eric, something I had not admitted to Amelia or truly spent time examining myself, but I had a good six hours sleep on and off over the night. As Amelia suggested, I put in the call to Damon Cataliades about working from home and explained that I had a good high-speed connection and that I was more than willing to do anything from home.

I explained that I wanted to do it because of boredom at home, but he seemed to think I was only doing it because I wasn't being paid. I smiled to myself at the irony when he said that he'd have to clear it with the CEO as it was not normally company policy. A few hours later Damon called me back to tell me that I was allowed to work from home and my normal pay would be reinstated. To be honest the pay thing hadn't concerned me, but I was pleased that Damon had thought to look out for me.

I was told, however, that I needed to go to the office as I would need to have a work laptop rather than using my own and he also had some files for me to work on.

"I guess, Sookie, it's a good job that you have offered to work from home."

"Why is that, sir?"

His voice lowered. "Well, I know he may have been a friend of yours, but we had to let Sam Merlotte go. He lost us a very important contract."

What? Was this Eric's doing? "What happened? Did you fire him?"

"I had no choice. He admitted to us what he'd done and there was no option but to let him go. What it does mean is that we're short staffed so you coming back will be good. Can you meet me here in a few days time and I'll give you the laptop." I agreed a meeting with him a few days later which conveniently fitted with a physio appointment that Amelia had already promised to take me to since she was not working that day.

I was nervous the afternoon of my meeting with Damon and hoped to god that Eric was busy in meetings so there would be no chance of seeing him. It would be bad enough just being in the same building as him. I pulled on a loose pair of jeans that had plenty of room for my bandaged ankle and manoeuvrability purposes, and a red t-shirt that I had always loved.

"You'll come in with me, right?" I asked Amelia as we parked in the disabled spot outside the door. It was right next to the space where Eric's corvette was parked. I was convinced she was doing it deliberately.

"Of course."

She helped me out of the SUV and held the door open for me as I approached reception. Becky smiled at me as I limped up to her.

"How are you, Sookie? I heard you were in a car accident. I broke my ankle once, it wasn't right for many months afterwards." That really didn't help.

"I'm good. Um, I'm here to see Damon Cataliades, could you please let me know that I'm here?"

"Certainly."

I moved away from the reception and waited with Amelia. I had my back deliberately facing the elevator up to Eric's office. A few moments later Damon came down and handed me a laptop bag which I passed on to Amelia so I wasn't unsteady. He told me there were some papers inside that he wanted me to go through and he would keep in touch by email.

I was just about to turn away and leave with Amelia when I heard footsteps from behind and Eric's deep and manly voice. "Amelia, how are you?"

I turned to look at him but he did not meet my eyes. Was he flirting with her? He fucking knew she was married. But shit did he look good. He was dressed in a silver grey suit with a lightly pinstriped shirt and a tie that matched his suit. He had a day or two's worth of stubble and his hair was loose around his shoulders. It was almost sickening how good looking he was.

"Good, thank you, Eric. Yourself?" Amelia replied. I was astounded that she was flirting back.

"Good. Care to step outside?" Eric smiled and winked at her before he led her outside of the double doors and out of my line of vision.

I tried my best to continue a conversation with Damon so I didn't have to face going out to speak to Eric, but Damon evidently had other meetings on and simply offered to open the door for me as I lacked spare arms with my crutches. The doors closed behind me and I moved slowly forward but it was obvious that neither Amelia or Eric had noticed my arrival.

"Eric, if you talk to her …" I heard Amelia tell him. I was going to kill her. I couldn't believe that she would talk to him about me.

"No. She made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me." He crossed his arms defensively in front of his broad chest, his eyes strong on Amelia who rolled her eyes and flapped her arms.

"Oh don't you fucking start as well. I've had enough of this from her. The two of you need to get in a room together and talk like adults. Stop behaving like children. You're both fucking miserable."

Was Eric really miserable? I felt an excruciating pain in my chest as I stared at Eric and I almost struggled to breathe. It was at that moment that both of them turned to me and Eric's blue eyes met my own until he pulled them away to turn back to my friend.

"I'll see you around, Amelia."

He started walking towards the doors and before I could stop myself I was calling his name.

"Eric."

He stopped dead in his tracks and stood still for a moment before he turned back to me. The expression on his face was a pained one and I hated that I had been the cause. He was obviously waiting for me to speak further.

"We need to talk."

"Halle-fucking-lujah!" Amelia interrupted but neither one of us took any notice of her.

"Here is not the right place." Eric commented. He was quite right.

Amelia stepped in between us but my eyes were still locked on his. "Okaaaay you two. I have an idea. Eric, you're the boss right, can you skip the rest of the day?" He broke our eye contact to look at Amelia and nodded. "Good. Now I have a few errands to run which would be much easier without hop-along here, so why don't you drive Sookie home or somewhere and I'll see you kids later."

Eric looked back at me. "I can do that if it's okay with you."

I swallowed loudly and nodded at him.

"Wait here a sec, I'll go and get my keys." He shot Amelia a look and flew back inside the building.

"What the fuck am I meant to say to him?" My panic was beginning to rise.

"Why don't you just start from the beginning. I know you've talked about that to some extent, but its obviously still an issue. Just be honest with him, with yourself. It's the only way that you're going to sort this out between you."

"Okay." I said meekly.

Amelia and I were silent for the minute until Eric reappeared. He met my eyes briefly before walking to his corvette and opening the door for me. He let Amelia help me into the far too low car and he took the clutches from her and placed them behind the seats. He closed my door and strode around to the drivers side and folded himself in. I watched out the side window as Amelia got back into her car and drove off.

I was officially stuck with Eric with no room for escape. This time there was no hanging up or walking away. On my part, anyway.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he reversed out of the parking space.

"I'm fine." I was lying.

"Would you mind if I ran past my house so I can get changed? I'm not a fan of wearing suits."

He was taking me to his house. I was trying not to hyperventilate.

"Sure. Though I don't know why you don't like suits. You look damn good in them." My brain filter was obviously not working. But then Amelia did tell me to be honest. I risked a look at him and he raised an incredibly sexy eyebrow at me. "I mean, all men look good in suits." I was getting a little hot and bothered and wished he'd put the air conditioning on.

We drove in silence for the rest of the journey and were heading towards an area of Shreveport that I did not know. The houses were becoming larger and further apart and there was obviously money in this neighbourhood. I wasn't prepared for seeing Eric's actual house though.

We were waved through into a gated community and up a tree-lined road. None of the houses could be seen from the road due to the excessive greenery and the few cars that were visible from the road looked like they would cost than my house. As the road inclined Eric pulled up in front of the last gate and punched in a code.

The large iron gates opened in front of us and Eric headed up the impeccably gravelled sweeping driveway, past perfectly manicured gardens and a small fountain and up to a beautiful and enormous large white building with columns on the outside. It looked fairly new but fit in perfectly with the local architecture. The car stopped in front of the building and Eric got out, taking my crutches with him. He opened my door and held out a hand.

"I can wait here, I'll be fine while you get changed."

"I was going to take a quick shower as well. Please come in, I won't be ten minutes, I promise."

I was somewhat scared about entering his home but I swallowed my pride and took his hand as I attempted to get out of his car. It was easier said than done. I tried to lift my damaged left ankle out of the car but it was awkward and painful. And standing up was even worse.

"I can carry you, if you like."

He had a wicked smirk on his face but I simply pulled on his arm a little harder and I was able to get out of the seat. He handed me my crutches and I hobbled up the steps and into his house where Eric had opened the door for me. The inside was purely palatial. It was all painted in an off white colour and was light and airy with wooden floors. It wasn't what I imagined Eric to live in. I thought it would be more flashy. Although this place was huge and probably cost a good few million dollars, it was understated, elegant and homely.

"You have a beautiful home." I observed as I followed him in.

"Thank you. Would you like a quick tour of the downstairs?"

I accepted and he showed me into a large and airy family room, a more cosy den that had an enormous flat screen TV on the wall and large soft sofas, an office he had obviously been using the day before which was decorated in darker tones of red to offset the white, a large and well-equipped gym, a huge dining room and then to a massive kitchen at the back of the house with views down to the gardens and the biggest swimming pool I'd ever seen. There was also a conservatory at one end of the kitchen with more comfortable seating.

"Wow," was about all I could say. I hoped that Eric wasn't showing me his home to show off his wealth to me, but I was actually quite sure that that was not the case.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Yeah, that would be great." He walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of mineral water for me and one for himself.

"You can either wait in here or in the den, anywhere." His eyes were locked on mine.

"Here will be fine."

Eric left to obviously go upstairs and I hobbled over to one of the more comfortable seats in the conservatory area and sank down into the cushions. I tried not to think of Eric being naked in the shower but my traitorous mind brought up imaged of him in the cemetery that time. I picked up a magazine that had been left on a coffee table and flicked through the pages to distract myself.

My reading was interrupted by the sound of high heels on wood and then stone. I turned to see Pam enter the kitchen and then stop dead in her tracks when she saw me there.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Stay the fuck away from my brother."

I didn't know what to say to her and the expression on her face was murderous. "Um, I'm just here briefly as Eric offered to take me home and he wanted to change first."

"Fine, if you need a ride back to Bon Temps then I will take you. Come on, get up."

I didn't know what to do. I imagined if I told her we were going to 'talk' then she'd be worse. "I should at least wait for Eric."

"No. Get the fuck up, you're leaving." She grabbed my arm and half pulled me out of my seat. As I struggled to get up I tried to put my weight on my injured left ankle causing me to cry out in pain.

I heard heavy steps come down the wooden stairs and Eric bounded into the kitchen. "What the fuck is going on? Pam?"

"We're leaving. If Sookie needs a ride back to her ramshackle farmhouse then I will take her. I will not allow her to cause you any more hurt."

Eric's eyes were angry and blazing a dark blue as he stared at his sister. He hissed something at her in Swedish and she finally let go of my arm. I instinctively rubbed where she had held me, a move that had not gone unnoticed by Eric. He grabbed his sister's arm and took her out into the hallway where they had a heated discussion in Swedish. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to know what they were saying or not.

As my ankle was throbbing with pain I reached into my bag and pulled out the painkillers that the doctor had prescribed and I swallowed them. When I looked up Eric was staring down at me. He had changed into a pair of dark blue jeans with a heavy belt and black boots on his feet. On his top half was a gloriously tight fitting but expensive black t-shirt that left nothing to the imagination. I gave a silent prayer for stretchy material.

"I'm sorry about Pam. Are you okay?" He gently examined where she had a hold of me. "Is your ankle okay?"

"It's fine. It just hurts a little if I put any weight on it." We were both silent for a moment. "Eric, what did she mean when she said she wouldn't allow me to cause you any more hurt?"

He shut his eyes and then sank down into a chair next to mine, his long legs crossed at the ankle. "I haven't been myself these last few weeks." I knew what time period he was talking about. "Things have been … different. I've been different." He paused for a moment and looked deep into my eyes. "I'm sorry if you feel I was high-handed. I didn't mean to overstep my mark. I only wanted to help you, look out for you."

"Out of guilt?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Maybe partly. I will never forgive myself for the way I treated you. And I was wrong to assume that you would be able to trust me so quickly. I'm not trying to buy your favour."

"Partly?" I questioned.

He took a deep breath. "I think we need to back up a bit here." I wasn't quite sure what he meant. "After … after it happened, ten years ago, I truly did feel like shit for the way I treated you. I wasn't the cold hearted monster you no doubt thought me to be. The reason I didn't see you again after it happened was because it concerned me that I couldn't just look at you as some other girl I'd slept with. When I left you in the cemetery I went back to my room but I couldn't stop thinking about you. That wasn't my normal style. I didn't know what would happen if I saw you again, so I took the easy way out and avoided you. I know it was the wrong thing to do, but I was confused."

He stopped for a moment and searched my eyes. I had always wondered why he didn't see me after the event. I hadn't imagined that would be the reason. I indicated for him to carry on.

"And then when Jason told me that you knew about the bet I knew I was screwed. I wanted to see you, to apologise but Jason told me not to and I stupidly listened to him. I know that you would not have forgiven me but I should have been a man and apologised. Instead I left the country and went to Sweden for the rest of the summer. When I went back to Boston I still hadn't recovered my game. I kept on thinking of you. I lost count of the amount of times I nearly went to see you at Stanford. In fact I even bought a ticket once but Pam talked me out of it."

I was beginning to really hate Pam again. She had seemed okay when I spoke to her at the restaurant, and I even really opened up to her, but now I hated her.

Eric continued. "I'm not sure what would have happened if I had of seen you. Jason had told me that you had a boyfriend and I assumed that you had moved on. I heard a few years later on that you had married and I just assumed that all was well with you. That you were able to put things behind you. I didn't want to fuck things up for you by reappearing in your life."

I smiled a wry smile. "I'm not so sure you would have fucked things up for me. When I got to college I was quiet and withdrawn and it took Amelia to pull me out of my shell. There were boys after me but I wasn't interested. Bill was different with me, he was gentlemanly, kind and patient. He didn't try to push me. He always assumed that I was a virgin and I never sought to put him right. I guess I settled for him. I loved him but I'm not sure I was ever in love with him. I enjoyed my career and we was pretty much married to his. We saw very little of each other which suited me just fine. I guess I wasn't surprised when he cheated on me. He was a total douche."

"I know. I met him." I nearly choked on my own phlegm. Eric had a smug smile on his face.

"You what? Where? When?"

"It was in London, actually. I met up with three old friends from college on one of the first nights I was there. A friend called Farrell who works for some computer company had two Americans visiting and he was charged with looking after them, so he brought them along."

"How did you know it was Bill?" This was just surreal.

"When Bill was told that I was from Louisiana he made some rude comment about his ex-wife and mentioned that he only visited Louisiana twice in the time that you were married, which I also remember you telling me was the case. Jason had told me he was called Bill, so I realised it was him. The fucker even tried to get me to invest in some company he had."

"And I'm taking it you didn't?"

"Damn straight I didn't. It was a stupid fucking idea anyway so I wouldn't have invested even if he wasn't your ex-husband."

I have astounded that Eric had met Bill. But there was another question I wanted to ask. "Eric, why did you go to England?"

He looked thoughtful and a little serious. "I needed to get away. Pam had been telling me that I needed a break and I agreed with her. Since taking over the company from my father I had never had more than three days off in a row. I think it was simply overwork. I needed some time on my own."

"What did you do over there?" I was really asking whether he had slept with anyone but I wasn't sure why I was so keen to know.

"I just travelled around going from place to place. My maternal grandfather was English and he'd taken Pam and I there as kids. It's very different to home and I've always loved London."

He hadn't answered the question I didn't ask. "Did you meet anyone over there?" I asked the question into my hands.

"No. I haven't been with anyone since before I saw you again."

It had proved Amelia right. She had told me that I couldn't be sure that he was fucking his way through England or since then, but I had refused to believe her and chose to wallow in my own misery instead.

"You came back early." My voice was but a whisper.

"I went to try and sort myself out. But I couldn't, I needed to see you. I couldn't go on without talking to you."

"Why? What did you want to say?" My eyes were searching his handsome face.

He shut his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. "I needed to know what it was between us. The second I saw you again … it was …. everything just came crashing back. I was in my room again having just left you in the cemetery. I never forgot you. I don't think I ever truly got over you even though we had so little between us."

I had a lump the size of an apple in my throat and I felt like my chest was constricting. We were both silent for a while but I could not look up at him. I had a lot to take in. He really did care about me and I wasn't some random fuck to him. And he hadn't forgotten me over the years. There was still a small voice in the back of my mind that was saying he could be lying, but I was almost one hundred per cent certain that he was telling me the truth.

"Are you okay, Sookie?"

I took a large gulp of air and pulled my eyes back up to his. I could see the raw emotion in his eyes that was similar to how he had looked when he walked into the hospital room.

"I'm fine." I wasn't very convincing. "I want to apologise for the way I spoke to you both in your office and on the phone. I was out of order and I shouldn't have been so ungrateful."

"You don't need to apologise to me. What I have done to you is so much worse." In essence that was true, but it had been me recently that had caused problems through my mis-assumptions, rudeness and ungratefulness.

"Thank you for fixing my driveway, it did need doing, I'd have to admit that. But I don't understand why you felt the need to do it?"

"I have to admit to feeling a little guilty. The reason I didn't drive my corvette that day was because I didn't want her to get damaged on your driveway."

"You call your car a 'her'?" He smiled.

"Afraid so. I've had corvettes for as long as I can remember and I really love that car. But the fact remains that if I had driven the 'vette you'd have known it was me and you wouldn't have felt the need to go running out of your house and getting injured at two in the morning. That is what I meant when I said it was my fault. I should have spoken to Tray when I turned up at your house, but when I saw some other man answering the door in only a pair of jeans I got jealous."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You were jealous? Why?"

"I spent a lot of my time in England wondering whether you and Alcide were going to get together. I realised that in me bolting the way I did I may have pushed you together. And then I come back and see a different man answering your door …" His voice trailed off. "I'm sorry. That sounds like I thought you were some kind of slut, which I really don't. I was being irrational and jealous because I wanted you for myself."

And there it was. Eric wanted me. Now after all these years had passed he still wanted me.

I had gone ten years thinking that he never gave a damn about me and now I discovered that not only had he felt guilty about what happened and did want to apologise to me, he genuinely liked me to the extent that he would disappear to another continent when my own words hurt him and he was jealous when he thought of me with other men.

"What do you want now? Of me, I mean." I asked.

He smiled. "That's the question, isn't it? But what I want is irrelevant. I've fucked things up enough over the past ten years. I'll admit to having to suppress a large part of me that wants to throw you over my shoulder and make love to you all night, but another very large part of me just wants to spend time with you in any capacity available. The question is, what do you want?"

He looked at me earnestly. He was right. He'd laid his cards on the table, what now for us.

"I don't know, Eric. I honestly don't know. I couldn't just jump back into bed with you and I'm not even sure we can be best of friends straight away, but maybe we can work on it and see where things take us?" I was actually impressed at how mature that sounded.

He smiled. "I'll take that. Can I drive you home now or do you fancy something to eat? I'm a pretty mean cook."

His eyes were twinkling and I decided to live dangerously.

"What's cooking?"

* * *

_Happier now?_


	17. Chapter 17

**Eric**

I left Sookie in my kitchen and almost skipped up the stairs. I felt like a joyous twelve-year-old girl. Sookie was in my house and we were going to talk things through. I hadn't known quite what would happen when I went down to the foyer after Becky emailed me to come down to where Sookie and Amelia were waiting, but things turned out as well as could be hoped. What would have happened if Sookie hadn't stopped me walking away I didn't know, but in seeing her again I doubted that I would have been able to leave her alone.

I quickly stripped off and hung my suit up, taking a few moments to straighten up my room. I was under no illusions that I would be bringing Sookie into my room, I'd probably have to carry her up the stairs anyway and I certainly didn't think that she'd be yielding to me any time soon, if at all. But there was nothing wrong with being prepared.

I jumped into the shower and washed, trying to will my erection down all the time. There was something I really like about having Sookie in my home and I wanted her here more often. Honestly, when I told her I wanted to get changed out of my suit it hadn't crossed my mind to invite her in and play the gracious host, but as soon as she made the comment about me looking good in a suit I decided I'd play along. I knew then that there was some level of attraction to me and I intended to nurture it.

She seemed to like my house as well, at least what I showed her of it as I had deliberately not shown her my library. That was my sanctuary and the place I went to to think. I never even let Pam into my library and she knew better than to go in of her own accord. It was a light and airy room but with tall wooden bookcases lining the walls and a soft seating area in the centre of the room. There was a large antique chandelier in the centre of the room, but also with soft, subtle lighting all around for the evenings and nights. I didn't get as much time to read as I would have liked, but I was somewhat addicted to buying books and had bought many first editions and rare books along the way. I hoped that I would have the opportunity to show it to her.

I got out of the shower still semi-stiff and dried myself before drying my hair. I tended to not normally blow dry my hair – it seemed a little vain for my liking – but I didn't want to leave it wet as I normally would. There was also a part of me that wanted to keep her in my house for as long as possible, to make sure that she felt comfortable. I pulled on the same jeans and t-shirt combo I had put on last time I planned on seeing her along with my trusted black boots since I was to be driving Sookie home.

I checked myself in the mirror and headed back down the sweeping staircase when I heard the sound of Sookie crying out in pain. I must have taken the staircase in only three strides as I rushed into the kitchen to see Pam stood next to Sookie grabbing her arm, while Sookie was holding her injured ankle with her free arm.

"What the fuck is going on? Pam?" I yelled. I was furious. How the fuck dare Pam handle her like that?

Pam turned to me defiantly, her hand still grasping Sookie's upper arm tightly. "We're leaving. If Sookie needs a ride back to her ramshackle farmhouse then I will take her. I will not allow her to cause you any more hurt."

I clenched my teeth to control my anger before I hissed at Pam in Swedish: "You will take your hands of her now."

Pam gave me a look and let go of Sookie's arm who rubbed the spot where Pam had just manhandled her. I was going to have a very serious conversation with Pam, but now was not the time. I grabbed Pam's arm and took her out into the hallway.

"What the fuck is she doing here, Eric?" Pam asked, still in Swedish.

"I need to talk to her. We need to talk things though." I replied in the same language.

"Why? She's caused you nothing but pain. Just move on. She'll only burn you further."

"I can't move on. I need to know if there's anything between us."

Pam had an exasperated look on her face and threw her arms up in defeat. "You're a fucking moron. I'm telling you, Eric, do not come crying to me when she fucks you over. You're on your own on this one."

She turned and flounced out of my house and drove off too quickly down my driveway. She had a right to her opinion, and I wasn't too surprised at her reaction, but I was not going to have her treat Sookie in that way.

I walked back into the kitchen to witness Sookie swallow a couple of the pain killers that she'd taken from her bag. She must not have noticed my entrance as when she looked up she looked a little surprised to see me, but I watched her eyes run over me with a spark of encouragement.

"I'm sorry about Pam. Are you okay?" I bent down to examine the area of her arm that Pam had grasped in her claws and luckily there was no sign of a red mark. Any bruising would come out later and if Pam had hurt her I fully intended on kicking Pam's ass. "Is your ankle okay?" I asked once satisfied her arm was fine.

She looked down at her ankle and then back up to me. "It's fine. It just hurts a little if I put any weight on it."

I didn't quite know what to do. I wanted to apologise again for her bad ankle but I didn't want her to think I was saying it only to feel better about myself. But she looked thoughtful and obviously had something on her mind so I remained quiet and waited for her to speak up.

"Eric, what did she mean when she said she wouldn't allow me to cause you any more hurt?"

I hadn't expected her to ask that. I think I may have shut my eyes momentarily and I moved to sit down in the chair next to her so that I wasn't towering over her. I explained that I hadn't been myself recently, that since she'd come crashing back into my life things had changed for me. I apologised for being high-handed and told her I only wanted to look out for her. I was a little taken aback when she asked if that was out of guilt and I honestly admitted that maybe partly it was.

I explained to her what happened after I left her in the cemetery those ten years previous, how I somehow knew then and there that I was completely screwed when it came to her so took the easy way out in running to Sweden. I told her that I nearly came to see her but didn't want to fuck things up between her and her boyfriend-come-husband. She was somewhat shocked that I had met that particular fucker.

We talked about my trip to England, but what surprised me was her asking if I met anyone over there. She didn't look in my eyes when she asked and I wanted nothing more than to take her face between my hands and answer her straight into her eyes. But instead I had to settle with telling her that I had not been with anyone since I saw her again. It was curious that she was interested and I tried in vain to keep my hopes at simmering level.

She asked me why I came back early, what it was that I wanted to say to her. That was a tough question and I felt my anxiety rise within me. I pulled on my hair slightly. "I needed to know what it was between us. The second I saw you again … it was …. everything just came crashing back. I was in my room again having just left you in the cemetery. I never forgot you. I don't think I ever truly got over you even though we had so little between us."

She didn't respond and the air between us was a little thick with tension. I was fighting an internal battle with myself and I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms. She was still staring at the floor when I asked her if she was okay.

"I'm fine." She obviously wasn't and clearly had a lot going on in that mind of hers. "I want to apologise for the way I spoke to you both in your office and on the phone. I was out of order and I shouldn't have been so ungrateful." I felt my heart swell at her apology, but it really wasn't necessary.

"You don't need to apologise to me. What I have done to you is so much worse." It was the truth. I would never forgive myself for what I did to her, even if we lived together for the next fifty years.

We talked about her driveway and I accepted the blame for running away and not speaking to her that night. I even admitted my jealousy at seeing Tray answer the door in only a pair of jeans.

That certainly had her attention.

I admitted that I'd spent time thinking whether it had been the right decision to run off to England and worrying that she may have hooked up with Alcide while I was gone. I admitted that I was being irrational and jealous but only because I wanted her for myself.

The shock on her face at my words was clear. She'd obviously not expected me to say that or not expected me to be so open, but I could almost see the cogs whirring in her mind as she thought things through.

I sat back and studied her face and realised that I had never truly seen her before. She was simply beautiful with perfectly symmetrical features, large blue eyes that had true depth and intelligence behind them, perfect cheek bones, a delicate nose, just the right amount of tan, naturally blonde hair that most women had to pay a fortune for and lips that I was desperate to capture with my own. Not to mention witness around my cock as she took me in.

Finally she turned to me and spoke again. "What do you want now? Of me, I mean."

I couldn't resist smiling. There were many ways I could have answered that question, each more crude than the last, but what I wanted was irrelevant. This was down to her now and what she wanted.

"That's the question, isn't it?" I told her. "But what I want is irrelevant. I've fucked things up enough over the past ten years. I'll admit to having to suppress a large part of me that wants to throw you over my shoulder and make love to you all night, but another very large part of me just wants to spend time with you in any capacity available. The question is, what do you want?"

I was silently dreading her response. If she'd told me then and there that she never wanted to speak to me again I would have gone along with her. I knew I wouldn't be happy with it, but I was prepared to do anything for her.

"I don't know, Eric. I honestly don't know. I couldn't just jump back into bed with you and I'm not even sure we can be best of friends straight away, but maybe we can work on it and see where things take us?"

That would do. For now. I had time to work on the rest. "I'll take that. Can I drive you home now or do you fancy something to eat? I'm a pretty mean cook." I didn't want her to leave but the whole point of her being at my house was for me to change and then take her home.

I regarded her as she thought about her options, and as soon as I saw that mischievous look in her eye I knew that things were good.

"What's cooking?" She asked.

"What do you fancy? It's a nice evening, I could get the grill started, or maybe knock up some pasta. You'd be surprised at my skills." I couldn't help leering slightly.

She rolled her eyes. "The grill sounds good and I fancy a little fresh air. I've been spending too much time indoors recently."

I stood up and then held out a hand for Sookie, which she took slightly hesitantly. I handed her the crutches which had been on the floor by her chair and I led the way through the kitchen and out into the garden. The gardens had been the last thing completed of the house and had only been finished the year before once I'd finally decided what I wanted. I led Sookie to one of the more comfortable chairs that had cushioning and let her sit back down.

"Can I get you something else to drink? Something a little stronger?"

"Well, I think I could stretch to a glass of orange if you have it. I'm not allowed alcohol with my painkillers. But you have what you want, by all means. It's your home." I had a slight feeling that she suspected me to be somewhat of an alcoholic. But then the first time I saw her I did down an glass of whiskey at nine in the morning.

"Not when I'm driving you anywhere, I'm not." I answered honestly. There was no way I would put her at risk by drinking anything. I left her to go into the kitchen and came back with a glass of fresh orange for her and a diet coke for me. Another one of my vices. I turned on the grill to warm up and sat down at the table with her.

"I love this place," she stated once I was back. I took a seat at the table with her as I watched her surveying my house and gardens. "How long have you been here?"

"I've been here about eighteen months, although the gardens were only completed about a year ago. I've always wanted a place like this and when I found the land going I knocked down the crumbling house that was here before and built this place. It's been somewhat of a struggle at times."

"You hired Alcide?"

I looked at her quizzically. "Yes, I did." I didn't want to say more than that about her friend so I bit my tongue.

"Pam told me that he fucked up the work he did and almost killed a dad of three." I was going to kill Pam. Why the hell had she told Sookie that?

"Some of his work wasn't up to standard and another contractor was gravely injured. I had to settle out of court as I didn't want my name dragged through the mud. It cost me a few million."

"You don't have to be polite. I asked him about his debt to you and the work he did and he actually told me that he knows the work he's done for you is substandard. I can't believe that anyone would admit to that." She asked him, huh?

"Alcide and I have had more than a few run-ins over the past year. That crazy ex-fiancée of his is a complete psychopath and wouldn't leave me alone. I hope he's well shot of her for his own good, and I don't even like the guy." I couldn't help but smile. If I was honest they deserved each other.

"I met her. The night I was with Alcide and I saw Pam. She turned up at the restaurant and after dropping me home I think he hooked up with her again."

Fucking idiot. "I couldn't imagine why any sane man would choose her over you."

She smiled. "He didn't have an option. After what he told me about the way he worked for you there was no way I wanted to know more of him. He's certainly completely hot and all, but I'm not sure I like his work ethic."

I couldn't help but feel a little hurt and extremely jealous. I know I had no reason to, but my mind skipped back to her calling me unethical. And with Alcide it seemed she had actually asked him about it rather than assuming. She gave him the benefit of the doubt. I stood up from the table a little too quickly and my chair made a loud scraping noise on the deck. "I'd better get on with dinner."

I walked into the kitchen before she had chance to respond and I kept myself busy by pulling some steaks and chicken out of the fridge along with some the salad items, bread sticks, dips and chips. I started making a marinade for the chicken and threw the chunks in to soak up the flavours.

I was a little pissed at her for giving him more leeway than she gave me and was also pissed off at her being attracted to Herveaux. The guy was a blundering oaf. But I kept on telling myself that I had no right to be jealous of who she found attractive.

Was she attracted to me as well? I had noticed her checking me out earlier and she'd told me I looked good in a suit, but did she prefer Alcide? I wasn't used to such insecurity and it didn't sit well with me. I had done nothing to earn or deserve her attentions, and sulking in the kitchen was not going to help matters but my mood had darkened and I did not want to subject Sookie to that.

"Can I help you at all?" I turned to see her stood with her crutches under either arm in the centre of the kitchen.

"I'm fine, thank you." I said a little too harshly and I instantly regretted it. "Sorry." I said immediately and took a step forward towards her.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Eric. I don't know what I said to upset you."

Her eyes were studying mine. "It's okay, I'm sorry. Ignore me." She wasn't buying it.

"Eric …"

"Honestly, don't take any notice of me." It was an odd thing to say considering that that was the reason I had left in her in the garden anyway. I needed to not let me jealousy get the better of me and I was not going to fuck things up by bringing up our conversation in my office. "Please, go and sit down I'll be out in a second."

She looked up at me for a few moments before turning and going back into the garden. I was moments behind her as I started bringing the food into the garden. "If you could finish the salad that would be great." I smiled and put the necessary ingredients in front of her so she felt she had some part of the meal.

I started putting the meat onto the grill after making the chicken and vegetables into skewers.

"I wanted to thank you for letting me work from home. Damon said he had to run it past you."

"He did. We've been burned before by staff working from home and having too much access to our systems. Things have changed, but I put in a general rule that it must be authorised by me if it were to happen."

"And you trust me?"

"Of course." I didn't even need to think about it. But then the woman I had scorned before ….

"I think I probably would have gone mad at home if I hadn't been able to work. I'm looking forward to getting back into it."

"How's it going?" She'd only been in the job a few weeks after all.

"Good. I hadn't realised how bored I was as an assistant until I started using my brain again. I should buy a thank you present to Damon for giving me the job." She shot me a look which said she knew my involvement but neither one of us said anything. "I hear Sam Merlotte was sacked."

I clenched my teeth at his name. "Yes, he lost us a huge contract, we had no option but to let him go." And good riddance.

"You don't like him, do you."

"Not especially."

"That had nothing to do with his sacking …" Was she just suggesting I was unethical again?

"No." I snapped before silently chastising myself. "If anyone had made that mistake they would have been let go. Even you." I attempted a smile.

"I wouldn't screw up like that. Why don't you like him?"

"I've always found him to be a weak character."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"Eric, there must be another reason you don't like him." Her blue eyes were almost pleading with me but I had no idea why she would even want to know.

I sighed while prodding the meat on the grill and turning the chicken. "The day that you hurt your ankle I came back in the evening to see you but I saw Merlotte at your door before I got there. I assumed that you would not want anyone at work to know our relationship, so I left."

I turned my back to her and flipped the steaks. "Eric," she said softly but I could not turn to face her. I wondered what happened to the flowers I gave to the annoyingly perceptive nurse."Eric." She said louder and I was forced to turn and face her. "Will you quit it with the jealousy? I don't like Sam Merlotte in that way. But quite simply its none of your business who I like. I want us to get on, but you're not making things easy."

I wasn't making things easy? I was slowly coming to realise that she probably never would trust me and I had to be honest that I didn't deserve her trust. Maybe Pam was right, maybe I was better off away from her. Torturing myself in seeing her and having her in my home was not going to help if things didn't go as I would like. It was a very fine line to toe, and I felt like I was falling off.

I pushed the meat around the grill for a few moments and after checking the chicken was cooked all the way through I started serving up. I tried to smile as I gave her her plate and we made idle conversation as we ate, but I was being severely distracted by the moans that she was making as she ate. And she said I wasn't making things easy. I was regretting going without boxers as the tightness in my jeans was becoming painful as I pressed into the zip. I shuffled in my seat to adjust myself, but it did not help.

"Shit, this is so good." She was licking her lips and fingers, and closed her eyes in pleasure. It was a look that took me back ten years. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"My mother was a truly great cook, and since Pam had no interest in getting her manicured nails dirty, mom taught me to cook. I've always enjoyed it but I rarely find the time now." I missed mom hugely, she'd been a great lady and one I could always turn to for support.

"You really miss them." It was a statement not a question.

"Yes. I guess another thing with me not stopping working for four years was that I never really gave myself chance to grieve. I thought about them a lot while in England." While I wasn't thinking about Sookie.

We didn't speak as we finished off the meal and I was tidying away the used plates I noticed Sookie stifle a yawn.

"You're tired. I should drive you home." I offered her a hand to help her up which she accepted.

"At least let me help you tidy up and wash the dishes. She started to pick something up off the table, but I caught her hand. I was certain a spark of electricity went though me and my eyes caught hers momentarily. I hoped that she had just felt what I did.

"I don't think so, Ms Stackhouse. I'll chuck it in the dishwasher when I get back. Right now, I'm driving you home."

I carried her oversized bag as I shut the kitchen door and led her back through the house. Rather than take her put front to the corvette I guided her toward the door to my garage.

"Where are you taking me? Your car is out the front."

"The Vette is, yes, but you struggled getting in and out of her so I thought the SUV would be easier for you." I held open the door to the garage, hit the lights and walked towards the large black people carrier.

"Do you need this many cars?" Her eyes were wide as she looked around the ten-car garage. I didn't like to tell her that I had more in storage.

"It's one of the things I like to collect." I held open the door and helped her in before hopping into the drivers side.

"What else do you collect? Women? Notches on your bedpost?"

I momentarily froze at her accusation before starting the engine and hitting the remote for the garage car to open. My teeth were firmly clenched shut to stop myself from saying anything to her that I know I would regret.

"Books." I finally said once we'd left the garage, my eyes firmly on the road ahead and not looking at her. "I collect first editions and rare books."

"I wouldn't have thought that." I couldn't read the emotion in her voice and I did not want to risk looking at her.

I was desperately trying to remind myself that she really knew nothing of me. The Eric Northman she knew was the one that slept with an eighteen year old for a bet, had been with many beautiful women over the years and was CEO of a large company. She knew nothing of the real me, but then no one did other than Pam. I kept myself very closed off to most people.

We hardly spoke on the journey back to Bon Temps, but I wanted so much to know what was going through her mind. We'd cleared the air between us, and if I was honest that was what today was about. But I had hoped that things would progress between us. They obviously hadn't.

She knew how I felt about her but it was obvious that my sentiments were not going to be reciprocated even if there was some underlying attraction on her side which she seemed to be suppressing.

She'd fallen asleep for the last twenty minutes of our journey as I was lost in my thoughts and when I pulled up to her house I gently shook her arm.

"You're home, sleepy head." She stirred and stretched her arms. She looked so beautiful when she had just woken up and I wanted to see that again. "Can I take you out to dinner sometime?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not sure, Eric." She said after thinking for a few moments. "This is all a little sudden. I need time to process it all. You're still you." What the fuck did that mean? I don't think I hid my emotions very well.

I got out of the car and walked around the car to her side and opened the car door a little violently. I saw Amelia standing in the doorway of the house and I beckoned for her to come out. She gave me a look and I smiled sadly at her. She knew what that meant.

Amelia helped Sookie out of my car as I handed her the crutches. "Thank you," she said simply with an odd expression on her face.

I wasn't sure it was considering some of what passed, but I enjoyed spending time with her and loved having her in my home. "Any time, Sookie." I leant down and kissed her softly on the top of her blonde head and I breathed in her scent. I wanted to bathe in her scent. I pulled myself away from her and smiled as genuinely as I could. "Amelia has my number if you do want to take me up on the offer of dinner and I hope to see you soon."

"Goodbye Eric." Why did that sound so much like a final goodbye?

She smiled then started walking back towards her home. Amelia stopped behind to talk to me once Sookie was out of earshot.

"That didn't go as anticipated then?"

"Not really. We talked things through and I laid my cards on the table. She knows I care for her. But despite what she says I don't think she can look past what happened. She sees me as a womaniser and has no interest in me. I've tried though eh?" I nudged her in an attempt to be cheerful.

"I'm sorry Eric. She's a complicated being."

"I think that may be an understatement. Look after her for me."

"Will do. Look after yourself."

I smiled at her sadly and drove away back in the direction of Shreveport.

* * *

_Sorry - please don't kill me!  
_


	18. Chapter 18

**Sookie**

I left Eric's car after saying a somewhat final 'goodbye' and limped with difficulty back towards the house on the newly laid gravel. Made me wish I had tarmac.

It did not escape my notice that Amelia had stayed behind to talk to him. It's a shame she wasn't single since they obviously got on so well together. But then would that stop Eric? I severely doubted he'd be bothered by the fact that she was married. Amelia at least I knew would be faithful to Tray. But maybe I should put him on warning.

I hobbled up the steps onto the porch and opened the door, holding it open with one crutch as a manoeuvred through. Tray was sat in the kitchen.

"You do realise your wife is out there talking to Eric?"

He sighed. "She's only looking out for you, Sook."

"You're not worried that her and Eric seem to be getting on a little too well?"

"What? No. Of course not. She's only talking to him about you. And I'm guessing that things did not go well?"

I walked over to the sink and poured myself a glass of water. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Tough. You're going to." Amelia said as she walked into the kitchen. "Don't make me kidnap your crutches." She smiled at me. "Come on, lets go into the living room so we're more comfortable."

I had a feeling that Amelia was not going to let this rest. "I'll let you ladies talk in peace." Tray said before kissing Amelia on her forehead and leaving the room. Amelia carried my drink and an alcoholic one for herself as we went to sink into the comfortable sofas of Gran's.

Amelia spoke up as soon as we were both seated. "Go on then. What happened? Were you at his house? What's it like?"

"Yes, he took me to his house so he could get changed. The place is massive with a huge swimming pool and shit loads of land. He had it built for himself and it must have cost a fortune. And then of course while I waited for him Pam showed up and demanded that I leave and even told me that she'd drive me back to Bon Temps. He kicked her out but we ended up talking about what happened ten years ago and what's happened since." I didn't want to give Amelia too many details. "He admitted that he cares for me." I added quietly.

"Well of course he does! That's just plain obvious."

"But he's being jealous and possessive about it!" I almost yelled. "He told me that part of the reason he came back from England was because he feared that something would happen between Alcide and I, and the reason he ran off from my house that day was because he thought I was with Tray. _And_ he came to see me at the hospital and got jealous at seeing Sam. And of course then, conveniently, Sam gets sacked a few weeks later. Not that Eric admits his jealousy had anything to do with Sam's dismissal."

"Tell me you didn't accuse him of that?"

"What do you mean? Accuse him of what?"

"Did you say that Sam was sacked because he brought you flowers? Because Eric was jealous?"

"I don't think I implied that. He did admit that he didn't like Sam, though."

"So you're back to calling him unethical again, then?"

"What? No! That's not what I meant. His jealousy is ridiculous and misplaced. And anyway, it's none of Eric's business whether I like someone or not. I'm not his."

"And you never will be at this rate." Amelia said under her breath but loud enough for me to hear. "But you at least got on? You're friends now?"

I was fairly sure she knew the answer to that considering the way I walked away from Eric and her conversation with him. "Not exactly. We seemed to sort things out and he offered to cook for me. I then somehow said something or other to piss him off. We did talk more and the food he made was gorgeous, but on the way home he didn't speak to me. He wouldn't even look at me."

"What happened?"

"He showed me into his garage which was chock full of cars, I mean, seriously, how many cars does one man need. He didn't need to show his wealth off to me, I know he's stinking fucking rich, and his house was quite gorgeous enough. But he told me that there were things he collected other than cars."

"Yeah, and?"

I didn't quite know how to say it. I knew what I said was incredibly rude and I saw the look of shock on his face very quickly replaced by pain. Amelia was waiting for me to continue. "I asked him if he collected women or notches on his bedpost."

"You what? Why the fuck would you say that? Why would you say that to anyone?"

"Oh come on! It's not as if it's not true."

"You don't know that. You don't know anything about him."

"I do. I know enough. Lafayette told me he's been known to arrive somewhere with one woman and leave with another. He's always seen with different women. I know his sort. He's a playboy. He's the type that fucks an eighteen year old and then walks away."

"So you can't accept that he may have changed? He was twenty-one years old when he did that to you and he has apologised many times for what he did. Sook, you've changed over the last ten years why do you think that he hasn't? I don't get you. You're all over the place. One minute you're chasing him to Shreveport, the next you're practically calling him a whore. You don't know if he's slept with other women recently."

I clenched my teeth. Amelia was pissing me off. "He says that he hasn't. Assuming that's the truth."

"Why the fuck would he lie about that?"

"I don't know – maybe to get into my pants! You know he had the audacity to ask me out to dinner after he'd ignored me in the car the whole journey back."

"I'm guessing you didn't accept," she said dryly.

"You're right. I didn't."

I thought back to his expression when I declined his offer. He shouldn't really have been surprised, but he looked hurt again. I had to admit that I was surprised that my words could hurt him so much, I didn't understand why he was so interested in me. It wasn't as if we really knew each other.

Amelia drew me out of my musings. "Sook, I hate to be the one to suggest this, but have you considered therapy?"

"What! I'm not a fucking nutcase!" I yelled at her.

"I'm not saying that you are. Sook, you had a traumatic experience ten years ago which you just can't seem to put behind you."

"It's no wonder I can't put things behind me when I have him in my face all the time." I was exasperated. "I never had to think about things when I lived in Washington. Maybe I should have stayed there."

"I'm serious. I think you need to speak to a professional. Try and move on, for your own sake. Fine, don't be friends with him, I think its probably better off for both of you if you stay away from each other. It always seems to end badly between you two. But you're not going to be able to move on if you're still dwelling on the past."

"Fuck you, Amelia." I was fuming. How the fuck dare she suggest I needed therapy. "I want you and Tray out of my house by the end of the month. I'm sure Mr Northman can put you up somewhere. You do have his number, after all."

"Sookie …," she started. There was no apology on her face however.

"I mean it, Amelia. You're gone in two weeks. I'm going to bed so leave me the fuck alone."

I picked up my crutches and hopped into my room. My exit would have been so much more graceful if it wasn't for those fucking things. Another thing that was Eric's fault. I probably should have let him pay me in full, he was right in saying that he was to blame. What the hell was I thinking that I needed to apologise to him.

I was actually looking forward to having the house to myself. I wanted and needed to have some time on my own. I was glad to have the distraction of work and it didn't take long for me to jump back into the swing of things and Damon soon rewarded me with a project of my own to work on. I was actually finding myself working from eight in the morning to well past nine each night with only minimal breaks. I was even working those hours on weekends. I could certainly get used to the whole working from home thing, though somehow I doubted the CEO would let me do it for longer than necessary.

I barely spoke to Amelia and Tray for the last two weeks they stayed in my house. I was guessing that they did in fact have somewhere to move to, and a few days before the month was up they started to move their stuff out. I hid in my room while they were around and on the last day when all their stuff had been cleared out Amelia came to my door and knocked loudly.

"Sookie, can I come in?"

"If you must." She came in regardless

"Tray and I are leaving now. I've put our new address on the fridge should you feel the need to stop being a complete bitch and get your head out of your ass. You're going to end up a sad old woman at this rate. This isn't you. You're letting things get to you that you never would have before. Shit, you weren't even like this when you caught Asshole cheating. You've fucked up, Sookie, but you need help to move on. You need to realise that."

"Get out." I didn't want to hear it.

"Just go an see a therapist. If you keep working these ridiculous hours to keep your mind occupied you're going to burn out. And eat more, you're still losing weight despite being stuck in here."

"I said, get out!" I yelled, louder this time.

She gave me a look and then walked out. I stayed in my room until I heard the sound of their car leaving my property and I headed out into the kitchen. I fully intended on loosing the piece of paper with her details. I didn't need 'friends' like Amelia. At least Tara understood what I went through since Jason had done the same to her. And she'd managed to work past it. She was married with a cute daughter now. I regretfully wished I had what she had.

I'd been seeing quite a lot of Tara since my fall out with Amelia as I'd refused to go shopping with Amelia, and Tara was more than happy to have an excuse to leave the house. She had even agreed to take me to my doctors appointments in Shreveport, though I gave her the gas money.

I surveyed the kitchen to see that Amelia had, in fact, removed all her belongings. I'd gotten quite used to seeing them and now the kitchen was back to the way it had been when Gran was alive. I missed her hugely – she was just the person I needed to talk to, the woman who would have known what to do about Eric. I wished that I had told her when she was alive, maybe things would have been different.

I turned to the fridge door to remove Amelia's address, but I saw a much larger newspaper article clipped to the fridge. It was a two page piece from the Shreveport Times that had been stuck together down the middle and was from a recent gala event in the city. There were quite a few pictures of the event but my eyes were drawn to two photographs of Eric smiling at the camera.

And he wasn't alone.

He had an incredibly attractive tall brunette on his arm in both pictures and they were smiling at the cameras as they walked the red carpet. I felt sick at seeing the pictures but I couldn't look away. He looked gorgeous in his classic tuxedo that showcased his broad shoulders and slim hips. And her next to him looking like a million dollars in some hideously expensive looking dress that he no doubt bought for her.

He didn't waste any time.

I wanted nothing more than to rip the newspaper article of the fridge and rip it into pieces, but I couldn't. I would kill Amelia for this if I ever spoke to her again. When I finally managed to stop staring at the pictures my brain and eyes decided to torture me more by reading the article.

_Last night was the gala dinner in aid of the Louisiana Cancer Foundation. The event was organised and sponsored by Shreveport's own businessman and Louisiana's fourth richest citizen, Eric Northman. He arrived wearing a black Ralph Loren tuxedo and was accompanied by Isabel Griffin (seen right) in vintage Chanel._

I could read no more. I ripped the newspaper off the fridge, screwed it into a ball and threw it across the room. I sank down on one of the chairs surrounding the table and held my head in my hands as the tears fell in floods down my face. Why did I care so much? I had rejected Eric. I wanted nothing to do with him. But it hurt so much seeing him with another woman. And who the hell was Isabel Griffin? I instantly hated her.

When I eventually regained my composure I wondered around the house for a bit, peeking into what was Amelia's room. The room was spotlessly clean accept for a small piece of card in the centre of the bed. I picked it up and read 'Dr Niall Brigant, Psychologist'. Damn bitch had left me details of a shrink. I threw the card back on the bed and closed the room up again. I was not going to be talking to any therapist.

.

The next few weeks passed in much the same way. The only people I ever spoke to were Tara when she came over or Damon and Lafayette who had been moved to be my assistant following Sam's departure. I'd warned him immediately that I was not going to take any crap from him regarding Eric, though I had a feeling he'd been told something by Amelia. Tara had taken me to speak to my surgeon after the mandatory six weeks and he removed my cast and x-rayed me again. I was relieved when he said that the fracture had heeled well and there was only minimal swelling. I was told I'd need some physiotherapy, but after one week I'd be able to drive again so could make a return to work. I was relieved as the four walls of home had become a little tiresome.

I didn't like to admit it to myself, but I missed Amelia and Tray's presence. Even those last two weeks of August when we weren't talking was better than being by my own. But I tried not to re-evaluate my past dealings with Amelia and Eric as it was a fast track to feeling like shit. I refused to think of it as depression. I was not mentally ill. Shit happens, you move past it. I was determined to look to the future.

As soon as I got the go ahead to get back into work I'd arranged a 'girls' night out with Lafayette, Arlene – who was amazingly still with her Cajun Rene Launier – and a new assistant by the name of Daphne. I'd even agreed to go to Fantasia since it was Lafayette's normal haunt. Laf had told me that he'd never seen Eric there, even though I didn't actually ask the question.

My first day back at work was mostly spent in meetings while Damon and the team updated me on the things I'd missed while working from home. The drive to work had been painful, but not quite as bad as I'd expected. I had no forego my usual pumps in flavour of a flatter shoe as my doctor had told me that heels were a no-no.

After I'd survived a week and successfully avoided Eric I hit the town with Lafayette, Arlene and Daphne. I had a fun time dancing and drinking with the others, but I was looking over my shoulder the whole night for any sight of Pam or Eric. I didn't see either of them, but I'd been nervous the whole night.

It soon became a Friday night routine that the four of us would go to Fantasia and we fast became thick as thieves. Lafayette had tried to talk to me about Eric on the first evening but I point blank refused to say anything to him. I wasn't going to go there and I still stood by my word to Eric that I would not tell anyone about what went on between us.

On the fourth Friday I did run into Amelia and Tray. She approached me at the bar as I queued for a drink. "How are you Sook?"

I turned to her, somewhat surprised that she was actually talking to me. I was painfully aware that I had been a complete bitch in kicking her out the way I did.

"I'm good thanks. Yourself? How's work?"

"All's good. I'm travelling a lot around the state and really enjoying it. How's the ankle?"

"Mended. Although a little painful at times. I still haven't been able to wear my pumps without crippling over in agony."

"That must be awful! I don't know how you can survive." Her face was serious but the humour was bubbling in her eyes.

"Amelia, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Forgive me?" I took her hand in mine to show my sincerity.

"I still think you should see someone. Brushing it under the carpet isn't going to help. But I want us to be friends, Sook."

"You're not gonna drop it are you?"

"Nope!" I growled playfully at her and gave her a hug.

"Fine, just don't keep on at me."

"We'll see."

I rolled my eyes and went to speak to Tray and some of their work colleagues including a particularly cute British guy by the name of Franklin. We chatted for a fair bit of the evening though he didn't push me for my phone number, something I respected him for. Amelia and Tray arranged to meet us at Fantasia the following Friday and I was secretly hoping that Franklin would be coming along as well. I could listen to that guy talk for weeks.

Work wise, I'd predominantly managed to avoid Eric in the four weeks I'd been back. I'd seen him a few times in passing yet we never made eye contact and I had the distinct impression that he was avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him. That all changed on the Monday morning when I was called into a meeting with Damon and a prospective client. I was wearing my favourite pale blue suit and it was one of the first days that I'd dared to risk pumps. This was not an outfit to be wearing with flats.

I knocked on the door of the conference room and Damon called for me to enter. In the room were four suited men. Damon introduced me to the three men who were the clients before the fourth man. Who was none other than Eric.

"And of course our CEO, Eric Northman. I'm not sure that you two have met?"

What the fuck was I going to say? Luckily Eric took the initiative. He stood up and extended his hand across the table to me. "Nice to meet you Miss Stackhouse."

He looked incredible. He was in an expensive dark grey suit with a pale blue shirt and darker blue tie, his blonde hair tied tightly at the back of his neck. And then when he sat back down in his seat he placed the reading glasses that were on the table onto his strong nose and began to look over the documents he had in front of him.

Fuck, he looked good. I wanted to jump him then and there. Glasses on men had never really done it for me before that point, but boy did he look hot.

Damon invited me to sit with them and he filled me in on the clients wishes, something he thought I would be perfectly suited to. I was impressed with how professional I managed to stay throughout the meeting, putting my thoughts and ideas forward which on the whole seemed to be well received. Eric for the most part remained quiet. He only really got involved at the end of the meeting when figures were being talked about. I was in awe at the authority he pulled in the room and I found it impossible to keep my eyes off him. He negotiated with the clients and I was astounded at the money that this contract was going to bring in. And even more surprised that I would be involved. I'd be working under Damon on this one, but I was still astounded that they'd let the new girl be involved. I just hoped they weren't using me for my feminine attributes.

At the end of the meeting we all shook hands and Eric left Damon and I as he showed the clients personally out of the building. He had referred to me as 'Miss Stackhouse' throughout the whole meeting. I was torn between being upset at his coldness towards me to being relieved that we had kept things on a professional level and we both proved that we could work together when necessary.

Due to my impromptu meeting I was behind on my other work so stayed until seven-thirty that evening. It was already dark when I went to leave and as I trotted through the foyer feeling relived that my ankle was still in one piece I was greeted by the sight of Eric and the brunette from the newspaper stood outside the building. Isabel Griffin. Her name was burned on my memory.

And Eric had her in his arms before giving her a tender kiss of the cheek.

I'd stopped dead when I saw them, my feet seemingly unable to move from the spot as the tortured my heart. I could feel the pulsating organ constricting within my chest and felt like my lungs were being starved of oxygen. When Eric finally pulled away from the lingering kiss on the woman's cheek his eyes met mine with an element of surprise. At least it hadn't been for show. But then would I not have preferred it if it was? This meant it was genuine. This meant that he had a girlfriend. I tried to think of Franklin and how I hoped to see him the following weekend but I failed.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when she turned to me as well. She had an inquisitive look on her face and she turned to Eric, whose own eyes were still looking in my direction. The whole thing had probably only taken a few seconds, but it felt like days. Her look made me snap to attention and I managed to engage my feet into movement and they led me through the empty car park without too much thought. Which was a good thing considering my brain was otherwise occupied.

I ripped open the car door – almost managing to rip it off its hinges – although I wasn't quite sure how I managed to unlock the car. I tried to thrust my keys towards the ignition but I couldn't seem to make them connect. It was only then when I looked down at my hand that I noticed I was a) unable to see properly and b) shaking like a leaf. My eyesight problems were due to the tears that had somehow formed and were falling down my face in earnest. I took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself, but it wasn't working.

I angrily wiped away my tears, no doubt smudging my eye make-up all across my face as I did so, but my body would not stop shaking and I was verging into convulsing territory. As I sobbed louder I finally managed to get the keys in the ignition. I was in no state to drive considering my lack of vision, but I had to get away. As I held the key there was a knock at my window.

I tried to ignore it as another loud sob escaped my lips, but the noise kept on knocking. I could hear the door trying to be opened, but I'd obviously had the foresight to lock it when I entered the car. I didn't remember doing that.

"Sookie, open the door," the voice pleaded.

I gave the keys a hard turn and the car sprang to life around me. I couldn't quite work out what to do and my foot went down hard on the accelerator as the engine revved but with no movement.

"Sookie!" the voice yelled, but I still didn't heed the warning in the voice's tone. "Cut the engine and open the door." It was pleading and sounding desperate. "You can't drive like this. Please Sookie, listen to me. Just open the door. Look at me."

I turned my head as if hypnotised by the voice and I saw a worried pair of brilliant blue eyes staring at me through the glass. The voice repeated its command and this time I did as it said. My whole body was still convulsing as I sobbed, but I couldn't move. My body felt like a dead weight. Even the voice commanding me couldn't make my body move.

Instead I found myself scooped up by the blue eyes, the cool night air on my trailing arms and legs as I buried my head into a warm yet solid chest. The sound of a heartbeat that was not my own racing one lulled me into tranquillity and my breathing began to return to normal.

I had been placed on what felt like a leather bed and I could here the muted whispers of two people talking in the room. A male and a female. I did not recognise the soft, lovely sounding feminine voice, but the male voice was all too familiar. It was the voice that had infiltrated my dreams over the last three months. The voice that belonged to Eric Northman.

I opened my eyes and saw Eric and the brunette talking at the end of the room. I watched as he kissed her softly on the forehead and she left the room with a sympathetic smile in my direction.

I was going to burn in hell for this.


	19. Chapter 19

_Wow - over 500 reviews - thank you so much! _

_Most people are of the opinion that Sookie is a complete headcase!

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**Eric**

"I should probably get going. Claudine will kill me if I turn up late."

"Babysitting duty?" I asked.

"Yeap. Her and Colman are are off out tonight to dinner and a movie and I've offered to look after the twins. They don't get out often and to be honest the rugrats will hopefully be asleep so it shouldn't be too much work."

"How old are they now?"

"Three last month. Absolute monkeys and into everything. But then knowing Claudine she's probably fed them tons of caffeine and additives to keep them awake all night. She likes to torture me like that!"

"Sounds like it," I laughed.

We were both quiet for a moment. "You okay, Eric?"

I smiled. "I'm good. Today wasn't as bad as it could have been."

"You spoken to Pam at all?"

"No. She's still in Europe and neither one of us has taken the initiative to call the other."

"You should talk to her. The two of you falling out isn't like either of you. You two have stuck by each other through a lot worse."

"I know, but she's not being reasonable."

"She's only looking out for you. You've had a rough few months."

She was quite right. "I know. Believe it or not I actually miss by annoying sister. And I want to thank you for letting me vent on you. I needed someone to talk to."

"That's what friends are for. You've been there for me. Have you considered therapy?"

"I'm not some fucking nutcase!" I playfully swatted her. "Honestly it's an option if I can't get over this," I said more sombrely. "Maybe I should go to one of those clinics with the celebs?"

"What, you mean one of those that costs thousands of dollars per day and frequented by young starlets? You'd come out worse that you went in! I do mean it though, it will do you good. My dad can recommend someone if you didn't want to speak to him."

"Thanks. Would I get mate rates if I saw your dad?" She rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Maybe we've made some ground today in that we were able to be in the same room together. It just didn't help that she looked so fucking hot. Seriously, listening to her talk about work in the way she did, talking with the clients, it was making me seriously hard."

"Okay. I think I'm going to leave now. I really don't want to know what makes you hard, Eric." We were both laughing.

"I'll walk you out."

I followed Isabel to my elevator and we walked out into the car park where her silver Mercedes SLK was parked. "That is such a girl's car," I stated as she walked up to her car.

"You have one then?"

"Two, in fact." I grinned.

I took her into my arms and gave her a big hug and then kissed her on the cheek. She had been through a hell of a lot over the last year but was somehow surviving well. It certainly put my own problems into check and I was determined to support her as much as I could.

But when I pulled away from her I could feel Sookie's eyes on me. I looked up to confirm my suspicions. Her face was one of shock as she witnessed the embrace between Isabel and I, but it quickly turned to pain as the tears sprang into her eyes. In my peripheral vision I noticed that Isabel follow my gaze before returning her eyes to me. At that point Sookie broke eye contact with me and moved as quickly as she could in the direction of her car.

"Go after her, Eric." Isabel said immediately. My eyes were following Sookie as she moved across the well-lit car park.

"What? No. She's made it perfectly clear that she wants nothing to do with me."

"Get over yourself. That was not the face of someone who wanted nothing to do with you. Go. She can't drive in the state she's in. Now!"

I looked at Isabel briefly who had a face on that meant business and I sprinted across the car park to Sookie's yellow car that was sat on its own. She was sat there with her hand on the ignition key, tears falling from her eyes. It was also quite clear that she was shaking. I had no idea why she was being like this. What the hell had I done now?

I knocked gently on the window but she didn't appear to even hear me, let alone be ignoring me. I knocked louder a second time and she seemed to sob more. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. I tried the car door but it was locked.

"Sookie, open the door," I asked as softly as I could.

She evidently took no notice of me as she turned the ignition and began to rev the engine. Did she want me gone? That may have been the case but she was in no fit state to drive and I certainly didn't want her killing herself or anyone else. I doubted that she could even see properly.

"Sookie!" I said louder this time. "Cut the engine and open the door." There was still no reaction from her and she seemed almost catatonic. "You can't drive like this. Please Sookie, listen to me. Just open the door. Look at me."

She finally did what I asked and turned to me. The look on her face was one that would haunt me forever. She looked broken, like her soul had been torn from her. I felt my own tears bubbling up inside me as she unlocked the door, which I quickly opened. I reached in and pulled out her car keys and stuffing them in my pocket before grabbing her purse and scooping a sobbing Sookie into my arms and carrying her towards my office.

She buried her head into my chest as I carried her and I could feel the wetness of her tears soak through my shirt. Isabel held the door open to the building and the three of us went back up to my office. Sookie hadn't seemed to even register that I was taking her back inside and I laid her down on leather sofa.

She was still in the catatonic state and I walked over to my desk where Isabel was stood watching me. "What the fuck do I do now? I don't know what's the matter with her."

"I'd say she saw the two of us hugging and you kissing me and she just lost it. Eric, the girl needs help. For her to have that extreme a reaction after her being the one to push you away is just not right. Have her call my dad, I can make sure he fits her in as soon as he can."

"I'm not too sure she's going to like being told that she needs therapy. Amelia, her friend, has already tried that and she got kicked out of her home for her efforts."

"Eric, believe it or not but you're probably the only one that she will listen to. Don't be too harsh on her." She looked behind me in the direction of Sookie who appeared to be rousing slightly. "I should go. Look after yourself." She gave me a half hug and I kissed her on the forehead and I watched as she exited the room.

Sookie's eyes were on me and I picked up the box of man-size tissues from my desk drawer along with a bottle of water and took it over to Sookie who was still laid flat on the sofa. She sat up as I handed them to her and I perched on the opposite arm of the sofa to the one she was leaning against.

I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't know what else could be said between us. I'd tried, I'd laid my heart on the line. I understood her hesitation but I thought she was willing to give me a chance. I was obviously very much mistaken. She thought I was the same twenty-one year old boy I had been when we slept together, she didn't seem to accept that I could change and mature. Sure, I'd still had more than my fair share of women, but it wasn't as if I had a different woman every night. If I was honest I'd probably slept with about seventy different women, which although it was a high number, it wasn't excessive and it could probably have been a lot higher if I didn't have such high standards.

It was Sookie that spoke first after she'd dried her eyes and removed the black marks from underneath her eyes. She'd at least stopped crying and shaking.

"So that was Isabel, then. Why'd she leave?"

How did she know Isabel? "She had to babysit for her sister."

She took a large gulp from the bottle of water and placed it back on the floor. "Okay."

"How do you know of her?" My curiosity was getting the better of me.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Amelia _kindly_ left an article out about the charity gala you did. I saw that you arrived with her."

She knew the truth at least. "I've known Isabel many years. Her dad was an old friend of my father's."

Her face dropped. "You said you weren't seeing anyone. You said that you hadn't slept with anyone since we met up again. You were lying?" Her tears were beginning to restart.

What the fuck? I tried to reign in the anger that was growing inside me. "I thought you said you saw the newspaper article?"

"I did. What does it matter?" She moved to get up off the sofa but seemed a little unsteady.

"Did you read it?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment before she wiped away a fresh tear. "I think I only read the first paragraph before I threw it across the room."

I shifted off the arm rest and onto the sofa next to her. We'd swapped positions from the previous time we were sat there. "Isabel is an old family friend and a few years older than me. I've known her my whole life." I paused to get a hold of myself. This was very difficult to say. "I made a great friend at Harvard by the name of Godric and when he came down to Shreveport to visit one summer I introduced him to Isabel. It was love at first sight for them and they married within a year."

I shut my eyes. I missed Godric hugely. He had been a close friend and confident and became like a brother to me. He was a few years older than me but was worldly wise and incredibly knowledgeable. "Godric passed away earlier this year from cancer. The gala was in his honour. He was too young to die. It wasn't diagnosed quick enough and by the time they found it it had metastasised throughout his body. He died only four months after diagnosis."

I was staring at the floor rather than her. "I'm sorry, Eric." I looked over to her and could see genuine sadness on her face. "And I'm sorry for assuming that you were with her, that you had slept with her." I glimpse of a smile must have passed my face, which did not go unnoticed by Sookie. "What? Have you slept with her?"

It wasn't really a topic of conversation I wanted to have with Sookie. "Many years ago."

"Did you date?"

"Not particularly."

"What then?" She was persistent at times.

"I lost my virginity to Isabel."

"Oh."

"I was fifteen and she was seventeen. She'd been with a few other boys and I pestered her into it. It was by no means spectacular and it was over in a flash. She still teases me about it now and Godric never used to let me live it down."

"Wow."

"We've always been friends but it would never be more than that She's like a sister to me now."

We were both quiet for a few minutes. "Did you invite me into that meeting today?" Sookie finally said to break the silence.

"No. That was Damon. If I'm honest I suggested one of your more experienced colleagues for the role, but he was adamant that you were the woman for the job and you proved him right. It's a huge contract and will put you in high esteem."

The silence between us kicked in again with both of us staring at our feet. I genuinely didn't know what to say to her. I wanted to make things all better but I just wasn't sure that there was a way to do that.

The silence was broken by the sound of Sookie's belly rumbling. "I should be going."

"Can I call someone to come and get you? I'd rather you didn't drive."

"I'm fine. Honest." Her eyes were anywhere accept on mine.

"Sookie." She was looking at my chest, my neck, my left ear. "Sookie," I repeated a little louder. She finally drew her eyes to meet mine. It looked like it took a lot of effort.

"Why were you so upset at seeing me with Isabel?" My voice was soft but a little strained.

She leaned back heavily against the sofa and looked to the ceiling. It didn't look like she wanted to answer that question, but I waited quietly nonetheless.

"I don't know. I just … I don't know."

"I think you do know."

She turned to look at me again, her face defiant. "No. You don't know anything about me," she snapped.

"I know that a rational person does not run off to their car in floods of tears when they see someone hugging someone else in a friendly fashion."

"That was more than a friendly fashion. You did that deliberately."

"What? I didn't even know you were in the building let alone stood there. And what would it matter anyway? What would it matter to you if I was with Isabel? Is it any more your business who I see than it is business of mine who you see?" I hissed, throwing her words back at her.

"You're unbelievable." She shouted.

"What? Tell me how things are different."

"They just are."

I got up and walked across the room. "I don't understand you Sookie. You may not be able to say it or even admit it to yourself, but you were jealous of seeing me with Isabel."

"I was not." She crossed her arms in front of her as she huffed.

"You're acting like a child." She shot me an evil look but I ignored her. "Look, you need to sort things out. You either continue to still hate me for what happened ten years ago and not accept that a person can change in ten years …" I stopped there.

"Or?" She asked quietly.

"Or you don't." I didn't quite know how to say it, or how anything could ever work between us. But to me it was obvious that there were still strong feelings involved on both sides.

"Eric," she began softly, waiting for my eyes to meet hers before she continued. "I'm not sure that I can ever forgive or forget what happened."

"Well its option one, then, and there's no point us eve talking." I said harshly.

"Eric, please."

"What? Sookie, you have run nothing but hot and cold with me right from the start. And believe me, I understand why you would hate me. I hate myself for what I did. But I'm not that person anymore. It changed me at the time and I have moved on from there. For someone that says you'll never forgive me or forget what happened your reaction towards seeing Isabel and I was completely irrational."

"I hated seeing you with her." She said in a small voice. I was shocked at her admission. I left my perch on my desk and went back over to the sofa to resume my position.

"Why? Tell me."

She shut her eyes. "Because I don't want to see you with other women."

"Why not?" I was pushing her for an answer.

"Don't make me say it." Her voice was almost pleading but I was at a loss to understand her. I always knew women were complicated, but this woman would have had chess masters tied up in knots.

"Make you say what? I don't get what you mean."

She didn't answer but continued to stare into my eyes. She edged closer to me on the sofa until her leg was touching my own. Our eyes were locked together the whole time and I could feel my heart rate increase and my body stiffen with tension as her head moved in closer to mine.

It was an agonising few seconds until her soft and full lips met my own. She gently kissed my bottom lip before releasing it and kissing me again with a little more vigour. I honestly didn't know whether to respond or not, but having her this close … her smell … her taste … I couldn't not. I returned her kiss, trying to keep it innocent, but she pulled me closer to her, her hand in my hair as her tongue ran along my bottom lip requesting entrance. I momentarily allowed it before I my rational thoughts kicked back in.

I pulled away from her.

Her face was one of shock and hurt very similar to when she had seen me with Isabel. "Sookie …" I started.

She pulled back from me and got up quickly. "I should go. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"Sookie, wait. You're not going to get very far without your car keys and I have them here." I took them out of my pocket to prove it. I walked up to her and stood facing her. "You know that I'm attracted to you. I've told you that I want you and that fact remains. But this isn't the way to go about it. Jumping into bed with each other is only going to be counter-productive. Do I need to mention that that was got us into this mess in the first place?"

I was fairly sure I didn't.

She walked around me and sank back down onto the sofa. "I can't stop thinking about you, Eric. I've tried not to. I've tried flirting with other men, busying myself with work. But you're always there in the back of my mind. Just like you always have been. And that's the problem. As much as I am attracted to you I always seem to associate you with what you did. Maybe Amelia was right. Maybe I do need to speak to someone."

It was good to hear her finally admit to that. "I agree completely. Sook, I have to say that I don't think there's any chance for us unless we both speak to a professional."

"Both?" She seemed truly surprised at me suggesting it.

"I think it might do us both good. Neither one of us has got over what happened, albeit for very different reasons. Isabel was only telling me earlier tonight that I should consider speaking to someone. Her father is a psychologist, Niall Brigant, he can recommend someone if he can't speak to us himself. Maybe it would be best if we did speak to someone together."

"I have to admit that I'd feel less of a complete loser if you were with me in therapy." I agreed with her on that one.

"I'll speak to Niall and see if he can fit us in."

"You don't mind talking to someone you know?"

"Not really, and to be honest I don't know him that well. But he's well respected within his field."

"He was actually the one Amelia tried to get me to see. I was such a bitch to her. I have no idea why she forgave me."

"She was only looking out for you."

"She was on your side!"

"She wasn't taking sides, she was just trying to make you see straight. I wouldn't have waited for you forever." In all honesty I'd given myself until the end of the year. If Sookie hadn't come to me by then I was going to make a conscious effort to move on rather than wallowing in self pity. Call it a new years resolution.

"I thank you that you're giving me a chance. Giving us a chance. I think I want this to work."

"Me too." I leaned in and kissed her on the head. I almost felt a little light headed from the scent of her shampoo. She smelled divine. It was taking a lot of self-control to not pin her to the sofa and have my way with her.

"I'm guessing Pam is not going to be too pleased about this." She was indicating the two of us with her hand.

"Something like that. I haven't particularly spoken to her since the night we last talked."

"Why not?"

"She was at my house when I got back from Bon Temps. I have to admit to not being in the best of moods when I got home." That was quite simply the understatement of the year. I was in an evil mood due to Sookie's words and rejection of me, and Pam being there all self-righteous did not help. We had a huge row and she left. I continued with the softened version. "And since Pam can read me like a book she guessed that things did not go well. We had a huge argument and she walked out. She's in Europe at the moment."

"What kind of books do you collect?" She asked after a moment of silence. It was a question out of the blue and completely caught me off guard. But I knew her meaning. In her own way she was apologising for saying that I collected women.

"Rare books and first editions mostly. I quite often scour the internet for online auctions or instruct someone to bid on my behalf. It's become a little bit of an obsession."

"I would never have had you as a book person."

"That's because you don't know the real me." I winked at her.

"I'm realising that now. And I'm truly sorry for the way that I have treated you. I only hope that I'm not too fucked up to be helped. I've been a little bipolar recently."

"I'm glad you said that."

Sookie's stomach spoke up for itself. "I haven't eaten since twelve. I feel like I could eat a horse."

"Well there's a nice French restaurant down the road, but I'm not too sure that they actually sell _cheval_. It might be off the menu, however. We could ask."

She had a bright smile on her face and swatted me on the arm. "Funny. Is that offer of dinner still on then?" She was biting her lip nervously.

"I don't see why not. Personally I fancy a steak. Of the _b__œ__uf_ variety."

"Still funny. I think I need to pop to the ladies room to freshen up. I'm guessing I look a mess."

She still had remnants of black down her cheeks and her eyes were a little red and puffy, but she didn't need make-up. She was beautiful as she was.

"You look fine, but you can use my shower room if you want." I directed her towards the door and tried not to think of the many fantasies I'd had of Sookie and I together in that room.

I hadn't known quite what would happen when I carried Sookie into my office, but I certainly didn't think that we'd be going out for dinner by the end of it. But we still needed to sort things through, and I was certain she needed professional help to get over the events of her past. I wondered how much Bill fucking her over was an issue. It wasn't surprising that the girl had trust issues.

While Sookie was in the bathroom I took the opportunity to call Isabel. "Hey Is, Eric."

"I know. Your name and ugly mug comes up on my screen when you call." Someone was in a bad mood.

"How are the kids?" I asked cheerfully.

"Effing nightmare. I'm going to strangle one or both of them soon. I have no idea how Claudine copes. I'm tempted to make her come back, you know, tell her there's some emergency. Any ideas?"

"None. Look, I was going to ask whether you could have a word with your dad and see if he can fit Sookie and I in for a session."

There was silence on the line. "Who are you and what have you done with Eric Northman? Did I just witness Eric actually seeking help?" I chose not to answer but the question was seemingly rhetorical. "Things have gone well then?"

"As well as can be hoped. Evening appointments would be best."

"What, you mean her fuckwad boss won't let her off?"

"I'll let my Chief Marketing Officer know what you think of him!"

I heard a crash in the background. "I'm going to kill them. Look, I'll speak to dad and assuming I haven't been arrested for infanticide I'll email you with details of when he's free."

"Thanks, Is. And good luck!"

"Cheers."

"All okay?" Sookie asked from the doorway of my shower room. She'd obviously retouched up her make-up and fixed her hair. She looked stunning in that outfit.

"Just talking to Isabel. She'd going to speak to her father and see if he can slot us in of an evening."

"Thank you, Eric."

"It's okay. What are you fancying? French, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian or dare I sat American?"

She smiled. "Do you know what? American sounds good."

"Have you ever been to Diantha's? They do the best steaks in town."

"Sounds good. Are you not going to change first?"

I looked down to see a mark on my shirt from Sookie's mascara leakage. "Good point. Hold on a second."

I walked to the fitted wardrobe in my office and pulled out a clean blue shirt that was identical to the one that I was wearing. I removed my tie and started unbuttoning my shirt. Slowly. I was more than aware that Sookie was watching me and I was giving her the show she wanted. Once I'd undone the buttons on my cuffs I slowly slid the shirt off my back, and turned towards where Sookie was stood, throwing the shirt in the direction of the sofa and twisting my body as I did so.

Sookie's mouth was agape as she watched me and I was fairly certain that she was panting slightly. I stared at her, the clean shirt in my hand as I watched her eyes take in my torso. I couldn't help the smirk on my face when she finally met my eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her and she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"You're impossible. Get a move on, I'm hungry."

"Looks like it!"

She stomped over towards the elevator but I was aware she was watching me as I pulled the clean shirt on. I left my tie where it was but picked up my suit jacket.

I held out my elbow for her to hook her arm under. "Shall we?"

* * *

_Sorry, I'm a little too fond of the cliffhanger!_


	20. Chapter 20

_They're moving in the right direction, right?_

_This chapter is a little shorter but I wanted to do the therapy in the next one._

* * *

**Sookie**

I walked into Eric's shower room and stared into the mirror situated over the sink, my hands clasping the porcelain white bowl beneath. I had no idea quite what had happened. I didn't really know what came over me when I saw Eric and Isabel together, my body just seemed to go into shock and I was quite certain I may have lost a minute or so. But he was quite right in saying that I had no right to react the way I did, and if I admitted it to myself the truth was that it was jealousy. I didn't want to see Eric with anyone else. It had been bad enough when I saw the newspaper article let alone seeing it in person. And the woman was beautiful: slim and tall with long dark brown hair and big brown eyes.

I came to realise that from talking to Eric about everything that I did need to seek some professional help, and it had taken Eric to make me realise that. I'd had more than enough traumas in my life with almost everyone I'd ever loved leaving me in some fashion or other. It was no wonder that I had trust issues. But those thoughts were for therapy. I tried to suppress those nasty thoughts for now. I was going out for a meal after all.

Back to the monstrosity in the mirror. I looked awful. My hair was a mess and my eyes were still red from crying. And not to mention the mascara smeared across my face. I sincerely hoped that Eric wasn't going to actually let me leave his office looking like this. The bathroom itself was huge. I'd expected a small room with a toilet, a shower in the corner and a sink. But no, this room was large and luxurious, and the shower would easily fit two people with room for a third if necessary. I found myself wondering whether Eric had had women in that shower with him.

I found a clean face cloth and washed my face before reapplying a little face powder and mascara. I had certainly learnt my lesson to always carry that with me. I borrowed Eric's brush and sorted out my hair as best as I could. After attending to other needs, I exited the room to see Eric stood by his desk and on his cell, smiling at something or other. I wanted to be the one to make him smile like that.

He quickly ended the call telling me that Isabel was going to talk to her father about us meeting him for therapy. So I was really doing this. I had a feeling that if I'd arranged it myself I would have found some excuse or other to not go. But with Eric organising it and actually coming along with me I had to go through with it.

We decided on American food and Eric suggested Diantha's, which I'd heard many good things about but had never been. I'd heard that you had to book weeks in advance to get a table, but for once I decided to keep my mouth shut. He was a local businessman and stupidly wealthy so who knows what he could do. Hell, he probably owned the place anyway.

Eric obviously hadn't noticed the mascara marks on his shirt from when he carried me earlier, but I assumed he probably had some spares. As he pulled an identical looking shirt out a wardrobe I expected him to retreat into his bathroom to change.

He didn't.

He pulled off the dark blue tie he was wearing and started to unbutton his shirt, starting with the buttons of his collar and then slowly downwards as he untucked the bottom of his shirt. With each undone button more of his skin was showing and I could see that he was tanned with a light sprinkling of blonde hair on his chest.

I swallowed to relieve my dry throat and I was aware that my mouth was hanging slightly open. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had been drooling.

Eric was clearly aware of what he has doing and I felt like I was a voyeur. He has great awareness of his body and when all the buttons were undone he slowly peeled the shirt of body. Fuck me he was toned. You could tell from him wearing a suit that he was muscled and tight, and my previous experience of face-planting into his chest told me that there was no fat on his body, but jeez he looked good.

He threw the dirty shirt in the direction of the sofa, his upper body and arms twisting as he did so, his muscles moving beneath his perfect skin. I could not take my eyes off him as he stood in front of me. My eyes ran over the light sprinkling of hair running in a line from his belly button and then disappearing under his pants, the deep V pointing downwards, his toned abdominal muscles and tight pectorals. His shoulders were broad and strong and his very biteable neck.

When my eyes finally met his he was wearing a smirk and raised his eyebrow at my obvious ogling of his body. I felt a blush rising within me and I pulled my eyes away from him.

"You're impossible." I huffed. "Get a move on, I'm hungry."

"Looks like it!"

I ignored his comment and stalked across his office to wait by the elevator but I could not resist watching him further as he pulled his clean shirt on. It is not fair that a man should be that good looking. But then it was one that was about to take me out to dinner. I was half expecting to be lynched by jealous women.

As we stepped outside into the slightly chilly October air Eric turned to me to talk logistics. "How about we take my car and then I'll drop you back here once we've eaten?"

"Sounds good," I smiled.

Eric held open the car door and I got in as gracefully as possible before he folded himself in seamlessly. I put it down to experience. He smiled at me before starting the car and I was whisked off away from the building. Once we were moving Eric pulled his phone out of his pocket and (while waiting at a stop sign) scrolled through his it to find the number he was after. The phone obviously rang for a few beats before I heard the muffled tones of someone answering.

"Hi,yes, Eric Northman here, could I have a table for two available in fifteen minutes … certainly … that's great, thank you." There were long pauses between his words, but the outcome was favourable. "All fine. It's really good food, you should like it. Diantha is an incredible chef."

"Ex-girlfriend of yours?" I asked without thinking.

He didn't respond and I was too afraid to look at him. Fuck! Tell me I had not managed to screw things up already. The silence in the car was tense and I eventually got the courage to look at him. His jaw was clenched and he simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm sorry, Eric. I need to stop being such a bitch to you. I just … no, there's no excuse and I apologise." His eyes were straight ahead on the road and I noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel tightly. "You can take me back to my car if you want to." I said after a few more minutes of silence. I'd rather that he yelled at me then gave me the silent treatment.

"Sookie," he eventually sighed. "I want to have dinner with you. I want to spend time with you, but you need to accept that even though Diantha isn't an ex-girlfriend but rather a chef I employed a few years back, I do have exes knocking around. And quite simply a few of them are a little on the unstable side." It sounded like he was speaking from experience on that one.

"I know. And you were right when you said that I was jealous of seeing you with Isabel. It kind of took me by surprise. I'd been suppressing everything for years that I was caught off guard at quite how jealous I felt. I'm trying, Eric."

"I know, Sook. But you just need to be aware that I do have a past."

"Am I likely to meet any ex-girlfriends of yours?"

"If you're talking actual girlfriends, then no because I haven't really had a proper girlfriend since college."

Was he serious? "What do you mean?"

"Most of the women I have been with since was just about sex and an escort to the occasional event that I was required to attend."

I really didn't like the sound of this. "You used them?"

"Maybe." I almost scoffed but he carried on. "But they knew what the set-up was and I was used in much the same way."

"For what?"

"Sex mostly. Women can be just as bad as men and you'd be surprised at what women will do when a man has money." I swallowed loudly. "Sook, things are different now. The moment you walked back into town things changed for me. I haven't been with anyone else and I am not going to."

"How many?" I asked quietly. I almost hoped he didn't hear me.

He let out a sigh. "If you really want to know the number is in the seventies. But then probably eighty per cent of that was before you and I. When I was in college I was quite wild and more often that not had a different girl each weekend."

"What changed?" I asked.

"You did. You changed me. I knew that what I had done was wrong and I had no intention of ever doing that again. After that I guess I kept my emotions in check. I didn't go near anyone who I knew I could hurt. The types of girls that I have been with are fickle and manipulative. They know what they want and they go out and get it. Since I wanted the same thing, I went along with it." He paused momentarily. "Sook, I'm no angel. But you need to believe that a person can change."

"I do."

We'd arrived at the restaurant and Eric zipped out of his seat to help me out of the car. He'd put his suit jacket back on and again looked positively edible. We walked in and were shown to a private table in the corner of the room. The menu looked incredible and we both ordered a glass of wine each as we surveyed the menu.

"It looks incredible. You said Diantha worked for you?"

"Yes, I needed a chef for a last minute event and she was unemployed at the time, so it was ideal. She was a great find and I gave her a loan for this place. She paid it back within two years. It wasn't until later that I actually found out she was Damon Cataliades' niece."

"Really?" I was surprised that the place was run by my boss' niece.

I looked down at my menu and felt spoilt for choice. I eventually settled on a turnip and carrot soup followed by fillet steak. Eric chose a duck terrine to start and a huge rib-eye steak for his main course. "I hope you get your cholesterol checked regularly!" I joked.

"I attend the company medical once a year. But anyway, I work out."

"I can tell." I muttered into my glass.

"Liked what you saw?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're insufferable."

"You don't mean that." He was quite right. "But I thank you for your concerns about my health." He was smirking at me and I rolled my eyes.

After ordering our first course was delivered super quick and I began to realise that he was a hugely respected figure in Shreveport. I couldn't help but also notice quite a few women staring at him, but he took no notice of any of them if he saw them at all. The food was gorgeous and I polished off mine quickly.

"I didn't realise that you needed reading glasses." I stated, thinking back to the meeting that morning that seemed so long ago.

"I can get away without them, but if I spend any length of time reading fine print then I do find I need them. Getting old, I guess. And the details they'd provided us with today were full of fine print. No one's going to pull the wool over my eyes that easily."

"Ever the savvy businessman."

"I have to be. I wouldn't be where I am if I wasn't savvy and a step ahead of everyone else."

"You looked hot." I said while he was drinking from his water glass. I got my expected result when he half spat out his drink. I smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh really? Maybe I should wear them more often. But while we're on the matter of our meeting today can I say quite how much my pants were being strained when you were talking business. I was glad the table hid my … growing discomfort."

It was my turn to be shocked and I could feel the blood rushing to my face. And other parts of my anatomy as my girly parts reminded me of their existence. He was yet again smirking at me and I tried to regain my composure. "Mr Northman, I do believe that is sexual harassment."

"Don't tempt me." He stated with a leer.

Our flirting was interrupted by the waitress coming with our main course. The food was heavenly and my steak was perfectly cooked and was melt in the mouth.

"Sookie …" Eric's tone was a little strained and I looked up at him in surprise.

"What?" I asked when I'd finished my mouthful.

"If you keep on moaning like that I'm going to take you over the table." His eyes were lust filled and he shifted in his seat.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't even realise I was doing it." I felt a little embarrassed but also thrilled at Eric's reaction to me.

"You were doing it at my house that time as well. It's a good job that we weren't on such good terms then as I would have had you there and then, and I suspect that wouldn't have been good timing."

"You'd be right there. I'm sorry, I'll try and eat less sensuously."

"Oh you can do it again, just not in public." He was back to leering and I rolled my eyes.

We shared a chocolate fondant, which was divine, before Eric drove me back to the office so I could pick up my car.

"You know you should get a new car. This one is crappy." He said as soon as we were out of his much nicer corvette.

"It's running much better since you had it fixed. Makes me reluctant to change it."

"You're making me regret doing that. That thing is a death trap. I'd buy you a new one if I knew that you'd let me."

"You're quite right in saying that I wouldn't." We were both silent for a few moments and I took a deep breath to compose myself before I said what needed to be said. "Eric, I want to apologise for being such a bitch to you and I want to say thank you for not bailing on me, thank you for helping me with this. I've really enjoyed your company tonight and I know I have a long way to go, but thank you."

"That's okay. I can assure you my motives are quite selfish." He had a devilish grin on his face.

"Oh really?" I asked, stepping a little closer to him.

"Very. I want you. But I want you to want me too. I want you to be able to trust me, and that is something that is going to take a lot of work, I know. But you've always had some power over me. When I walked into your home ten years ago I had no idea that I'd come to care for you the way I did. I certainly wouldn't have done it if I had known, but you changed something in me. You made me a better person. I'll wait for you as long as it takes."

He leant down and kissed me on the head and I pulled him closer to me into a hug – my head resting on his chest as his chin sat on the top of my head. I wanted to kiss him again as I had done earlier, the memory of his lips still fresh in my mind. But this was not the time or place for that. I bid Eric good night and we both went our separate ways after exchanging phone numbers.

The following morning after waking late from not getting quite enough sleep, I felt in a strangely joyous mood. I pulled on my favourite long-sleeved red jersey dress and rushed out of the door after pouring my much needed coffee into a flask to take to drink in the car. I arrived just in time for work and headed straight into my office to see a large bunch of flowers sat on my desk. It was a beautiful arrangement of red roses and white gardenias with dark green foliage.

There was no card but I knew who they were from. I placed the flowers which were in a glass bowl to the side of my desk and started logging into my computer. It didn't take a few minutes for Lafayette to waltz into my office.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning. Did we get laid?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "No, we didn't." I stated. It was the truth after all.

"Right, so _someone_ sends you a gorgeous bouquet of _red_ flowers _and_ you're not being a complete evil bitch and you expect me to believe that?"

"Um?"

"And you're wearing red today. You've been mourning for months, wearing only blacks and occasional blues. You look good in colour, Sookie."

"Have I really been that bad?" I knew I could trust Lafayette for an honest answer.

"Girl, you've been a fucking nightmare since you came back from injury."

There was a sound of a throat being cleared and Damon stood in my doorway, obviously not too pleased with Lafayette's language. He mouthed a 'later' at me and left the room. Damon and I spent the morning talking through the contract that had been signed the day before and the details of what it would involve. It was certainly going to be a lot of work and I would be his second on the project. The clients had apparently been very impressed with my ideas and wanted to work with me, something I found hugely rewarding and ran closer to the work I did back in Seattle.

I finally got to have my lunch break at one and noticed among my twenty or so unread emails was on from Eric. I opened it immediately and felt slightly giddy.

_'Sookie,_

_I hope that you slept well. I have had an email from Niall Brigant and if you're available he can meet us at five-thirty tonight for our initial session. If this is not okay please let me know and I can rearrange this. I hope to see you later on tonight._

_E.'_

He provided me with the address details and after I had a brief work with Damon to make sure I didn't need to stay late I agreed to meet Eric at the venue. I spent the rest of the afternoon feeling apprehensive about the pending meeting with Dr Brigant and made up my mind three times during the afternoon that I wasn't going to go. But I knew I would. It did mean that I was somewhat distracted from my work, something that did not go unnoticed by a far too observant Lafayette. It made me wish that Arlene was my assistant, I could have got anything past her.

At just before five I slipped out of the office noticing that Eric's car was not in its spot and I drove across town to the address Eric had provided me with. I pulled up next to his corvette, took a deep breath and walked across the gravel to the office door and into the waiting room.

The room was empty for the most part but Eric was stood at the far end of the room being hugged by a different tall attractive brunette. I nearly turned and left, my jealousy once again bubbling up inside me and leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth, but Eric called to me and stepped out of the brunette's grasp.

"I almost thought you weren't coming." I looked up at the clock at the wall and saw I was ten minutes late. The traffic was obviously worse than I thought.

"I very nearly didn't." I couldn't help myself but look over to the brunette.

"Please excuse Eric's rudeness," she said while walking towards me. She looked like a freaking supermodel. "I'm Claudine Crane, Dr Brigant is my father and I've known this idiot for far too long. Good to see someone finally got him into therapy."

I didn't quite know what to say to that, and I glimpsed briefly at Eric who looked a little uncomfortable. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." I held out my hand to her, which she took firmly but pulled me into an overly friendly hug.

"Oh, I know all about you, hun." I noticed Eric shoot her a look. "But do excuse me, I need to rescue the twins from my husband, or my husband from the twins. One of them. It was nice meeting you, Sookie. I'll see you around, Eric."

"Don't worry, she's like that with everyone." I smiled and I noticed his eyes take in my outfit. "Can I just say that you look absolutely fuckhot in that dress. If I had told you before this morning of our session I'd have thought that you were deliberately tormenting me by wearing that." His eyes seemed a shade darker and he was positively smouldering at me.

"It's one of my favourites, I just felt like a bit of colour this morning." I smiled at him. "And thank you for the flowers, they're lovely."

"Who said they were from me?"

"I have my suspicions."

We were interrupted by Dr Brigant opening his office door and inviting us both into his office. We both sat in individual brown leather armchairs with a small coffee table in between us and with Dr Brigant facing us.

"Okay, firstly I want to thank you both for asking to see me. I know that this can be difficult and I can assure you that anything said in here will not go outside this room." He was looking at Eric as he said this who nodded in agreement. "It's somewhat unconventional to do this when I know you Eric, but you've indicated you're happy with this and I want nothing to go unsaid within these walls. This will be a preliminary session and I can fit you in again at the end of the week. We'll see how many sessions are needed after that. Are you both okay to get started?"

We both nodded our agreement and I could see that Eric was as nervous about this as I was. I took a drink from the glass of water that was next to me to relieve my dry mouth.

"So, Sookie. I want you to start at the beginning and tell me all about yourself."


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay, sorry this is so dialogue heavy, but I needed to get the therapy between them._

_I've never had therapy (though I may need it!) and I also know nothing about psychology, but I hope it's okay!_

_Thanks for reading._

* * *

Dr Brigant looked at me and I took a deep breath. I was really doing this. And what's more, Eric was here as well. There was no escaping. And he wanted my life story. Everything. Would he know if I left anything out? No, I should tell him everything no matter how difficult it was.

"Okay," I started, "I'm twenty-eight years old, I was born in Bon Temps and I have an older brother Jason, who I don't talk to anymore. My parents died when I was seven years old in a car accident and my Gran took my brother and I in. I lived with her until I was eighteen and moved to California to go to college. I never really came back."

"How was your childhood?" Dr Brigant asked.

"Good, for the most part. I went through a bad patch when my parents died, I think we both did, but I got past it and Gran was great."

"Did you ever get therapy following your parents deaths?"

"No. Gran didn't really believe in that stuff. We went to church quite a bit and people were really nice to me, but no therapy as such." The doctor was scribbling notes on a large pad as I spoke.

"And life with your Gran …," he waited for me to continue.

"Gran was brilliant. She must have had her own grief following the death of her son and daughter-in-law and was stuck with two children. But I couldn't have asked for more, she was a strong woman and I learned a lot from her."

"Would you say she was there for you on a personal level? Living with a grandparent can often be more difficult."

"She did everything she could for us. She protected me as best as she could, she …"

The doctor held up his hand and interrupted me. "What did she need to protect you from?"

I froze. I didn't want to answer, I didn't want to talk about that. I didn't even want to think about that. I tried to ignore his question. "Gran became like my best friend, she knew me." I looked up at the doctor, he was not buying my avoidance.

"Sookie, what are you not telling me?" His voice was soft and his eyes were earnest as he tried to coax an answer out of me.

I could hear my heart beat whooshing in my ears and I gripped the arms of chair as if I was going to fall off. I felt like the pressure of the room was getting to me. I don't want to remember. I don't want to see his face. I don't want to think about what he did.

"Sookie?" It was Eric's voice and I felt his hand caressing mine.

I realised that my eyes were shut and I opened them to see Eric's large hand over mine. I followed his arm up his body. He was leaning over his chair with a look of concern and almost panic on his handsome face.

"You don't have to talk about it. It's okay." Eric's eyes were being kind but I felt like a freak.

I looked back down to the table and saw the glass of water, which I picked up and used both hands to steady the shaking glass. Eric took the glass out of my hands when I was done to stop me from spilling it. I looked to the doctor who was silently observing me.

"He was Gran's brother," I began shakily. "I was around nine when it started. Always when we were alone. He'd get me to sit on his knee. He called me his special girl. He used to …"

I couldn't go on. Eric was kneeling at my feet and holding my hands as my tears fell down my face. He handed me a tissue from the box I hadn't noticed on the coffee table. His expression was one mixed with hatred and concern. "Did he …?" I knew what he was asking.

"No. It never went that far. Gran noticed my aversion to him and came home early one day from her shopping trips and caught him. She'd noticed that I never wanted to be alone with him. She threw him out and I never saw him again."

"What was he called?" Eric almost hissed.

"Bartlett Hale."

"Is he still …?"

I again knew what Eric was asking. "No. He died last year. He actually left me all his money even though Jason had been closer to him. Thirty thousand dollars. I gave it to a child abuse charity, I didn't want his guilt money. He was another reason I never really wanted to return to Louisiana. Is it wrong that I'm glad he's dead?"

I looked to the doctor but Eric answered. "No, it's not. I'm glad he's dead as well." Eric's face was pure anger.

"I've never told anyone this before." I stated, my mind wondering.

"Sookie, tell me, do you think of this often?" Eric had returned to his seat as the doctor spoke.

"No, I don't let myself. I've had nightmares before, but not very recently."

"When was you last one?"

"A few months ago, maybe. They're nowhere near as bad as they used to be."

Dr Brigant looked and me and then Eric. "Sookie, would you be willing to undertake some sessions with just the two of us? I feel this is something we may need to discuss in depth and I have some techniques that I'd like to try with you which won't really work if you're distracted by Eric." He had a point considering Eric was quite a distraction.

I looked to Eric who gave a half smile in approval. "That's okay, I can do that."

I talked some more about my childhood with Gran and Jason growing up – living in a small town where everyone knew everyone else's business, my academic abilities and how I only had a few close friends and was no means one of the popular kids. I tried not to mention Eric and Pam's involvement in my childhood, something that did not go unnoticed by Dr Brigant.

"Now excuse my prior knowledge, but I'm aware that you too, Eric, went to school in Bon Temps." Eric nodded. "Did you two know each other at school?"

I couldn't look at him but I was certain his eyes were on me. "Everyone knew who Eric was. And Pam, for that matter." I assumed that Dr Brigant knew who Pam was. "Pam was in my year group, but we weren't friends. She was one of the popular kids, I wasn't. Eric was also a friend of my brother's and lived in a large house across the cemetery from us. I'd see him occasionally growing up, but I don't think we ever really had a conversation."

I kept my eyes firmly on the doctor.

"I know this is difficult, Sookie, but you both need to be completely honest with me and each other. Try and forget that he is here. I'd ask you, Eric, not to interrupt at all unless you are asked."

I looked over at him and I saw his jaw tighten but he agreed to what the doctor asked. He gave me an encouraging smile and I took a deep breath before we continued. Eric wasn't that easy to ignore, his mere presence was dominating the room even though he had said very little.

"Tell me more about your relationship with Eric, what did you feel towards him?"

"I think I may have been a little bit in love with him, as much as a teenager can be in love, anyway. I certainly thought I was at the time, but then I thought every girl was. But I always admired from afar, never approaching him. Many girls used to throw themselves at him, I always knew that I wasn't pretty enough or special enough for him."

"Sookie …" Eric began but was given a look by Dr Brigant that told him to be quiet.

"So what changed? You obviously know each other now."

Oh shit. I could feel my heart rate increase.

"It was the summer that I was eighteen. I was due to go to Stanford in the fall and really looking forward to asserting some independence away from home. I guess it was a normal summer's day when Eric came to the door, I presumed looking for Jason. He came in and he, well, he kind of seduced me." I said the last part in a low voice.

"He seduced you?" Dr Brigant repeated much louder. I hated saying that, but I couldn't think of a nicer way to put it.

"I'm not saying her forced me or anything, I was very much the willing participant, but we ended up having sex in the cemetery between our houses. I was a virgin at the time."

"Was it bad sex?" I felt myself go blood red – did he really just ask me that? I wanted to world to swallow me up. "Don't be embarrassed, Sookie. I'm just trying to understand the history between you two."

"No," I said meekly. "It wasn't bad sex. In fact it was very good sex." I could only imagine the smirk of satisfaction on Eric's face as I spoke. I didn't look to check. At least I hadn't said it was the best sex I'd ever had.

"Okay, so then what happened."

"I never saw Eric again until a few months ago when I returned to Bon Temps. I didn't see him for ten years."

"Did you want to see him back then?"

"Initially, yes. I went around to his house but I was always brushed off by his parents or sister telling me that he wasn't in when I knew that he was. But a couple of weeks later I found out …" I didn't know how to say it. The doctor was looking at me expectantly. I managed to calm my breathing. "I found out that him, my brother and a friend of theirs called John Quinn had a bet to sleep with a virgin in an outside environment. My brother slept with my friend Tara and Quinn slept with a girl called Dawn. She's now dead." I don't know why I added that last part.

The doctor's face was impassive but out of the side of my vision I noticed Eric lean forward in his chair and bury his head in his hands, clutching at his hair.

"So there were ten years between your having intercourse and then seeing each other ten years later? You had no contact whatsoever?"

"None."

"How did you feel about what happened?"

I gulped down some air. "After it happened, and he didn't contact me afterwards I realised then that I had been used. We have talked about this since, and maybe I was wrong, but at the time I just assumed I was another notch in his bedpost.

"But when I found out about the bet? I was devastated that I'd been played in that way and that I was stupid enough to go along with it. There was a voice in the back of my head the whole time telling me that things were too good to be true, why the hell would Eric Northman be interested in me? But I silenced that voice. Even when he happened to have a condom in his back pocket I knew something was off, but I went along with it. I never said no. I never said I didn't want to have sex with him."

I felt a tear slide down my face, which I hastily wiped away with the tissue that had been in my hand the whole time. I dared to look at Eric but saw that he was still leaning forward with his head in his hands as he stared at the floor. I hated saying this again, and I found myself feeling bad that as I recounted our story he was hurting.

"I pretty much spent the rest of the summer in my bedroom. My Gran new something was up but I never told anyone about what happened. Even Tara and I didn't discuss it. I was self-loathing and I became completely withdrawn."

"Eric, are you okay?" The doctor's eyes were on Eric and I turned to him to. He didn't look up but muttered something that resembled 'fine'. I felt my heart break a little more.

The doctor turned his attentions back to me, obviously satisfied that Eric was okay. "Tell me what happened next."

"Well, I went to Stanford and for the first few months I was much the same, withdrawn and keeping myself to myself. But I made a friend, Amelia, and she eventually brought me out of myself and I started to enjoy campus life. I found that I was approached by boys for dates, but I always refused. It was in my first year of college that I met my now ex-husband Bill."

"Tell me about him."

"He wasn't pushy like a lot of other boys, but was gentlemanly with me and had an old-school charm about him. He was the anti-Eric. He was under six foot with dark hair and eyes and he always felt safe. He wasn't a player, he respected me and we took things slowly. I didn't sleep with him until I'd been seeing him a few months. His family were from Washington state so I used to go up there with him and I really liked his family. I hoped Bill would give me the stability I desired. I married him the summer after I finished my course."

"Did you love Bill?"

"Yes." I thought about it a bit more. "I was happy with him. I was comfortable. I may not have been passionate about him, but I enjoyed his company. I did love him, but I may not have been completely and totally in love with him."

"What changed?"

"I think we both did. He changed once we were married. He didn't want me to start my own business like I did. I think he'd have been okay with me working for someone else, but he didn't feel I should have that role. He had very traditional values and I'd been told that I would produce children for him before that age of thirty."

"Told? Did you have a choice?"

"Not hugely. I tried to put it off as long as possible and I'm glad I did." Dr Brigant raised an eyebrow as he waited for me to continue. "I don't know how long he'd been cheating on me, but I came home early once to find him in our marital bed with his boss, Lorena. I left then and there and instructed a lawyer straight away."

"Did you come straight back to Louisiana?"

"No. This happened just over a year ago. I went to stay with Amelia and her husband in San Francisco, but I missed home so I came back."

"And how did you two meet up again?"

"I first saw him in the car park one Saturday as I'd left my car there overnight. We only caught a glimpse of each other, but I had an email from him on the Monday morning which said he wanted to talk to me. I have to admit that I tried to escape, feigning illness to my work colleagues but Eric caught me in reception."

"And the two of you talked?"

"To some extent. He apologised for what happened stating that he didn't know that I liked him and that he wouldn't have done what he did if he'd known I liked him."

"Did you not believe that?"

"Not really. I mean, everyone liked him. I was no different."

I went on to explain what had happened between us since: meeting in the cemetery again, me accusing him of being unethical and his subsequent fleeing to England, him coming to my home, me running off to find him at two in the morning and my accident, our conversation at his house and what I'd said to him and finally how we reconnected the night before.

Eric had remained unusually quiet during my whole speech and hadn't seemed to have moved an inch. The doctor turned his attention to Eric after thanking me and asking me to give Eric the same courtesy of not interrupting.

"How do you feel about what Sookie has told me?"

"I feel like a fucking asshole." He was still talking to the carpet. "I've been an idiot."

My heart froze within my chest. Did he not want to do this, did he not want to see if there was anything between us? My eyes searched him but his head was still pointing downwards. I wanted to see into his eyes, I wanted to know what he meant.

"What have you been an idiot about?" I was glad he was asking what was on my mind.

"Everything. I never should have hurt her in the way I did. I should have apologised at the time. I shouldn't have abandoned her after sleeping with her. I should have stayed in contact, I should have gone to California to see her. I shouldn't have let her marry an asshole like Bill Compton who would never have been good enough for her. I shouldn't have gone running off to England and I shouldn't be so ridiculously sensitive when she calls me a womaniser when I've given her nothing but evidence of that."

His eyes finally came off the floor and met mine. The emotion in them was intense. I couldn't read any one particular emotion but I would see that his eyes were red and slightly puffy.

"Sookie, I will never forgive myself for what I have done to you, but I shouldn't be here. Sook, you deserve better than me. I've brought you nothing but misery. I care for you too deeply to hurt you further." I was stunned. I wanted to speak but I couldn't. "I'm sorry Niall," he said as he got out of his chair and headed to the door.

I let out a sound that resembled 'gluck' as my words stuck in my throat.

"Eric, sit down," was Dr Brigant's sharp order as Eric placed his hand on the door handle. "Now." He sounded very paternal and Eric did as he was told.

I didn't know what had happened to the jovial, flirty Eric of the night before, but it was breaking my heart to hear Eric talk like this. I wanted to tell him everything was okay, I wanted to comfort him. But I'd promised the doctor I'd keep my mouth shut and I was determined to do so.

"Eric I understand the guilt that you feel. You know that you have done wrong and things cannot be changed. But from what Sookie has told me you have talked on more than one occasion about this, and you are both here because you want to move on. Now, neither one of you will be able to forget what came between you, but if you intend to have any kind of relationship other than as employer and employee then you will need to not only forgive each other for what has happened but also forgive yourself. You will not be able to progress unless you do."

I wanted to be able to forgive him. I wanted to put this behind us and I understood completely what Dr Brigant was saying. I realised, at least, that therapy was what I needed to get through this. Eric and I were going to have to support each other through this.

Eric simply nodded but kept his eyes straight on the doctor. I could tell that he was struggling with it and I found it odd that after ten years of refusing to seek any professional help I was finding this easier than he was. In a twisted way it made me feel better.

"Now Eric, please tell me your side of the events."

He took a deep breath before starting, obviously to compose himself.

"I actually thought it was a good idea at first. When Quinn suggested it, I thought 'why not'? The three of us were always getting into some kind of trouble. I should have known things would be bad when he suggested all three younger sisters. His own sister however had broken her leg and mine was in Sweden. Jason was uncomfortable about letting Sookie be involved, but Quinn persuaded him. However I didn't want Quinn anywhere near Sookie. I told him I wasn't going to do it if he went to her."

"Why was that?"

"I just … Quinn was always bad news and I just didn't want him near her."

"But why? Did you feel anything for her then?"

"I don't know. Maybe I did. I knew she was pretty, maybe not in the obvious was like a lot of other girls, but pretty nonetheless. But when I was at her house, when I was _seducing_ her," he repeated my words and I felt my chest constrict, "I realised how beautiful she was. I wanted her. The bet had nothing to do with me wanting her."

"Oh, come on!" I almost yelled without meaning to.

Both men turned to look at me. Dr Brigant's look was a disproving one, but Eric looked hurt.

"Sookie, I have told you before that it was the case and I'm telling you the truth. After it happened, when I went home, I couldn't stop thinking about her, what I'd done. I felt guilty but I also wanted to see her again, I wanted to know more of her. And that wasn't me. I was the kind of love 'em and leave 'em type. I got through girls like changes of shirt. But something changed in me after that. When Jason told me that Sookie knew of the bet I freaked out and fled to Sweden. I wanted to speak to her but I let Jason advise me not to. I shouldn't have listened to him, I should have trusted my own instinct.

"I only stayed in contact with Jason because of the trickle of news I got about Sookie through him, but when their Gran died I heard no more. I was aware that she was married and I didn't want to fuck things up for her by turning up on her doorstep. I was ashamed of myself, I feared also that if Sookie ever told the press about what happened then it would look very badly on me. After …" he paused momentarily, "I still had more than my fair share of women, but I've never had a meaningful relationship. No one before has held my interest."

"And Sookie does?"

"She's the only one that has." Wow, I was a little shocked by that revelation.

"So for you, what now?"

"I don't know. We've spent the last six to seven weeks not speaking to each other. But I don't know where we go from here. I want her to trust me, but I know that it will take time. I'm prepared to wait, I just fear I will hurt her again. That I'm not good enough for her."

"Why is that?"

"Because it's what I do. I've never been responsible in relationships. I had one five month relationship and that's it. I've never otherwise been monogamous. How do I know I'm not going to fuck things up? How can Sookie trust me if I can't even trust myself?"

Was that really what Eric thought? Did he really doubt himself like that? Seeing Eric vulnerable like this wasn't how I'd ever viewed Eric and it made him seem more human, that he did have his weaknesses. I'd never seen Eric this stripped down. His eyes were back on the floor as he leaned forward in his chair and I could see that he was tugging on his hair with both hands.

"That is a question only you can answer. Eric, I would like you and I to meet up for some individual sessions as well. I still want to see the both of you together, but you will benefit from us having some private sessions as well. You have some obvious guilt issues and you need to change your attitude towards relationships. Will you meet with me for this?"

I looked at Eric who raised his eyes from the floor to Dr Brigant. "I can do that."

"We will talk more at a later occasion then. But I have one last question that I want to ask you both." I nodded. "What do you want to come out of this? Sookie, you first."

Wow. Didn't know what to say about that one. We had been through so much, but ever since I first saw him he'd been in my thoughts, and I knew that it wasn't solely because of the bad things that had happened between us. I was attracted to Eric. I hated seeing him with other women and I'd felt hugely jealous at seeing him with Isabel and Claudine. I wanted him for myself.

"I want to be with Eric." I began after thinking things through. "I don't know how things would work, and that scares me, but I'm attracted to him and I enjoy spending time with him. I want to be happy."

"Eric? What do you want, what do you want for the future?"

"I want Sookie to be mine," he answered immediately. "I want to spend time with her, I want to share my life with her. She's always done something to me. She makes me a better person."

I couldn't help but smile.

"It's good to know that you're both more or less on the same page and both want this to work. You both have your doubts for very different reasons, and I will work on that with you separately. This isn't going to be an overnight fix. I want to see you individually once a week and together once week, maybe more if we all have time. I also want you both to meet up one evening a week. Spend some time together as friends. Try and enjoy yourselves, go out on a date or cook a meal for the other."

Eric and I both agreed to do what the doctor asked and we arranged appointments for the next three weeks. Dr Brigant was surprisingly flexible with us, and I could attend any time so we just fitted around Eric's rather busy diary.

Eric held open the door for me as we left the building and into the darkening car park. We walked slowly to where our cars were parked, neither one of us saying anything. Eric leaned against his car as we stood between them and I looked up at him.

It was Eric that broke our silence. "I do really want this to work. I want to be with you. I want you to be mine as much as I want to be yours. But Niall is right, we need to work on healing ourselves. I need you to be okay. I need to know that you don't hate me, that you can forgive me."

I stepped closer to him and leaned my head momentarily against his strong chest. "I made a promise ten years ago that I would never forgive you for what you did to me." I watched as Eric winced slightly. "But I'm going to go back on that promise. Maybe I haven't totally forgiven you, but I'm really getting there and I want to forgive you. I want you to forgive yourself."

"I'm not sure I can do that until I know you've forgiven me. Your good opinion is worth so much more."

"Well then, I'd better go breaking my promises then."


	22. Chapter 22

**Eric**

"Well then, I'd better go breaking my promises then." Sookie's eyes were on me as she spoke.

I smiled down at her and pulled her into my arms. She rested her head on my chest and I leaned my head down into her hair. She smelled divine. Her being in my arms just felt right. I gave her a squeeze and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head before releasing her.

She seemed almost reluctant to move away from me but did take a step back to remove the temptation from me.

"Are you free this weekend?" I asked, remembering what Niall told us. "Doctor's orders and everything."

She smiled at me. "Yes, I am. But I want to cook for you this time. Why don't you come over to mine and I'll cook us a meal?"

That was hardly an invitation I would refuse. "I'd like that. Let me know when you want me and I'll be there."

"How about Saturday at seven? I have no other plans for this weekend."

"I'll be there. Take care Sookie." I leaned in to kiss her forehead but she moved quickly so that my kiss actually found her lips. It was an intimate embrace and was very hard to pull away from her, but I was not going to screw this up by pushing things too fast. If it meant I had to continue my relationship with my left hand, then so be it.

I watched as Sookie got into her car and pulled away before I did the same. The evening has been a roller-coaster of emotions, and something I had not expected. I didn't quite know what I thought would happen, but hearing her talk to Niall like that, talk about how she felt, it broke something inside me. I couldn't remember the last time I cried, it wasn't something I ever did. I may have shed a tear at my parents funerals, but it would have been a solitary one. I could hardly control myself when Sookie was talking and all I could do was stare at the floor to try and keep myself together.

The one thing I knew from that session was that I was going to do anything to make it work between us. I'd go to the therapy sessions, I'd talk to Niall about my problems with relationships. If anyone would have asked me a year ago whether I thought I'd be in therapy I'd have called them crazy and probably set about destroying them. But I understood that I had issues I needed to confront as well as Sookie did.

Her talking about her great-uncle Bartlett made me want to kill. If he had still been alive I knew I would not have been able to resist the temptation to end his life. I wasn't a violent man, but I abhorred child abuse and I could not believe that the man got away with it for as long as he did. It amazes me that Sookie is such a strong woman considering what she has been through, and I was aware that I had a huge involvement in that.

I was distracted on my journey home as I thought about the events of the evening but noticed Pam's Porsche 911 GT2 sat in my driveway when I arrived home. After parking my car I threw my keys on the table before searching out Pam.

I walked into my kitchen to find Pam sat at the counter drinking my whiskey with a man I'd never seen before. I gave her a look as I'd never been fond of her bringing anyone to my home that I did not know.

Most of Pam's male friends were usually gay and complete queens, but this one didn't fit the bill. He was older than her by about ten years and could certainly be called handsome. He looked like he was tall with deep tan, dark brown hair and blue eyes which held a smile in them while he looked at my sister.

He was also holding her hand.

"Eric," Pam finally said, "I'd like you to meet Russell Edgington. Russell, this is my older brother, Eric."

I moved forward to shake his hand. I noticed Pam grabbing a bottle of champagne from my fridge and poured it into the three glasses she had on the table. I was highly suspicious of what the hell was going on and remained quiet waiting for Pam to carry on.

"Eric, this is my fiancé."

I was certain that my mouth would have been hanging open. Pam was engaged? And to a man? Had I entered into some obscure parallel universe where I went to therapy and Pam was straight?

"Are you sure?" It was all I could think to ask that wasn't hugely insulting to either of them.

"I'm quite sure, dear brother. He's from Mississippi, but I met him in the South of France. He has a yacht down there. You know you really should get one, they're fantastic things."

"I'm not sure that a yacht would be much use in Shreveport."

"Stop being a dick. Just because you haven't got laid for months doesn't mean you have to take it out on me. Look at my ring."

She thrust her left hand in my face to reveal a large diamond ring. "Wow," was all I could think to say.

"It's a five carat emerald cut diamond in platinum. It's Cartier." And that was the Pam I knew. At least this man obviously had the money to keep Pam in the manor to which she was accustomed.

However, I wasn't in the mood for putting up with Pam's shit. It wasn't like her to be so impulsive. I shot her a look and stalked out of the kitchen and into my office where I firmly shut the door. What the hell was Pam doing getting engaged to some guy she could not have known more than six weeks. Was she a complete idiot? Pam was a wealthy woman and easy prey for someone out to use her money. And she had the gall to talk to me about Sookie and I.

As I was lost in my thoughts there was a knock at the door. I expected Pam to just barge in, but no one entered. I yelled a frustrated "come in" at the solid oak door and my soon to be brother-in-law entered my office. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to have a quick word about Pam."

"Okay," I said sceptically as I indicated for him to sit on one of the leather chairs in front of my desk. He had remnants of a deep south accent that had been neutralised by years of living elsewhere.

"I'm guessing you're somewhat shocked to come back to find out that your sister is engaged. And to a man." I'm not sure I hid my surprise very well at that comment. "Yes, I know all about her past. We've spent a lot of time alone talking. I know that she's always preferred women and I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that I'm a little scared she will get bored of me. But we've both fallen in love with each other and it feels right. I'm not out to hurt her or take her to the cleaners. We will draw up a prenuptial agreement but I can assure you that I am not in this for her money, as she is not in this for my own. We've fallen in love and I hope that you can be happy for her. I want nothing more than to be her husband."

Well things had turned around in the past few months. "Forgive me for being concerned about her. This is very unlike my sister, but I want her to be happy and I've been trying to get her to settle down for many years. I hope that you will be able to anchor her to some normality."

He let out a loud laugh. "I'm not sure even I can manage that!" He obviously did know her well. "And to be honest, my life isn't that normal either. I spend a lot of time in Europe for business – I'm in finance – but Pam has said she's happy to come with me. And I have my own plane so it's really not a problem. I understand your suspicions, Mr Northman, but I love her." I could see the sincerity in his eyes and he did appear to love Pam. Strange man.

"Please, call me Eric."

"Russell." We shook hands again.

"Things are a little strained between Pam and I at the moment." I explained. "She didn't leave on good terms with me."

"Yes, Pam mentioned that there was some girl who was screwing around with you. You have to look out for girls like that. I've met many over my years."

My teeth were clenched and I was trying to reign in my anger. "Excuse me while I have a word with my sister."

"I'm sorry, did I sat something wrong?" His face showed his surprise at my reaction.

"Pam!" I yelled and she came down from upstairs.

"What?" She was filing her nails.

"We need to talk."

"I'll leave you two to it." Russell said as he hastily left the room.

"What do you want to talk about dear brother, I have a feeling this isn't about Russell."

"No, it's about Sookie."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh for fuck's sake Eric, are you still going on about her? Get over it. She's nothing but bad news. Just find some other blonde and fuck her out of your system. I don't even get what the big deal is with her anyway. I certainly cannot possibly think why I liked her."

I took a deep breath to calm the temper I could feel rising in me.

"I love her, Pam." I eventually said. It was the first time I had actually said it aloud, but I'd realised it when she was with me in my office after the Isabel incident.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I love her. I want to make this work between us. I want her to be mine and I want to be hers. We're giving it a chance. I was in therapy with her tonight."

Pam let out a loud guffaw and started laughing. When she didn't stop I couldn't help but join her. I understood quite how ridiculous it would sound to Pam.

"You're not kidding are you?"

"No, I'm not. We have a lot of issues together, but I want things to work between us and so does she."

"Wow. So you're really giving this a go. And she's not going to shoot you down at the first opportunity?" I gave her a look. "Just don't expect me to like her straight away, she needs to prove herself to me that she's not going to fuck you over. And if she does anything to hurt you I promise you I will rip her to pieces."

"Duly noted. And likewise with your fiancé. I guess we've both had a rather big few months, but are you sure about him? He's not exactly your usual type." I couldn't resist ribbing her slightly on this.

"True, but maybe I have been looking in the wrong place. I met him almost immediately after I landed in Paris and we just hit it off. I don't think I've ever had conversations like I have with him, we just seem to get on. He interests me, I like being with him. And I love him. I didn't expect to, but I do. And I may have preferred women, but he has skills I did not know existed. What he can't do with his penis isn't worth talking about."

"I don't think I need to hear any more." I laughed. "Come here." I got up and pulled Pam into my arms. I truly did want her to be happy and settled, and if he was the one for her, then so be it.

.

The next two days at work were busy and I had no opportunity to talk to Sookie, but we did send a few polite yet flirty emails to each other. It was Saturday night that I was looking forward to.

Before my drive to Bon Temps I had a few millimetres cut of my hair by the only hairdresser I had ever trusted to cut my hair, did a little shopping, bought two bottles of wine in red and white along with some flowers for Sookie, this time choosing a bright arrangement of gerbera daisies. I dressed in smart casual, wearing dark blue jeans and a black sweater, that I was aware was a little tight in places.

It didn't hit me until I was driving up to Sookie's house that this would be the first time that I'd been in her house since the event ten years ago. Maybe this was what we needed, maybe we needed to purge those memories and replace them with happier ones. I was feeling strangely anxious as I threw the car into park and got out of the corvette, bringing my gifts with me.

Sookie had opened the front door and was waiting for me on the porch. "Do you like my new driveway?" Her face was quite serious but she had a smile in her eyes.

"I do, looks expensive." I teased.

"I'm hoping not." She tried to frown at me but failed. "Thank you for the flowers, I love gerberas. Are you trying to get me drunk?" She asked looking at the two bottles of wine in the bag I handed her.

"No, I just didn't know what wine would go with what you were cooking, so I brought both."

"Well thank you. Come in."

She held the door open for me and I entered into her house. It was very much the same as I remembered it, and she obviously hadn't done much to the place since her Gran left it to her. I looked around nervously as I remembered what I had done the previous time I had been there. Even the Afghan was there.

"Are you okay, Eric?"

I turned quickly to see Sookie observing me. "I was just …" I didn't quite know how to put it.

"I know. That's why I thought it good that you came here early on. It's something we need to move past." I was impressed at how seriously Sookie was taking this.

"You're right. And can I say just how delicious you look?"

She truly did. She had on a long sleeved dark green dress that hugged her figure and accentuated her truly fantastic curves. "You don't look so bad yourself." Her eyes were fixed on my chest. "Did you get your hair cut?"

"I'm surprised you noticed, I only had a small amount off. I have to admit to being a little precious with my hair – I get it cut every few weeks so it remains the same length."

She was laughing at me. "That's really quite vain."

"Maybe, but I know what I like." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Come on into the kitchen, it's nearly ready."

I followed her into the kitchen which was also very much the same as I remembered it. The smell in the room was fantastic.

"Something smells good." I leaned against the counter opposite the stove so I wouldn't be in her way. I watched as she put the bottle of white wine into the fridge.

"I didn't know what you'd like so I made Lasagne for main and pecan pie for dessert. It's a bit of a go-to meal for me."

"I love lasagne and anything sweet. I eat most things to be honest. Maybe with the exception of offal."

"Well I didn't want to cook anything too unhealthy since you're probably looking after your figure." She was smirking at me.

"I don't mind a few extra hours in the gym." I winked at her.

We chatted idly as she served up our meal and I joined her at the table brining the white wine from the fridge and pouring us both a glass. The food was fantastic and I couldn't resist moaning softly as I ate.

It didn't take long before Sookie had put her cutlery down and was staring at me.

"What?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"You're moaning. When you eat, you're moaning." She was a little flustered.

"Was I? Sorry."

"You don't do innocent very well, Mr Northman."

"So I've been told. Truly great food though."

"Thank you."

"Was my moaning bothering you?" I wasn't going to let it slip.

Her face flushed. "Slightly," she admitted.

"Good to know." I winked at her again and she poked her tongue out at me. "How was yesterday?" I asked, risking making the tone that bit more serious again in talking about Sookie's therapy session.

"Good, actually. I talked to Dr Brigant about what happened when I was a child. It's going to take time, but even after that one session I feel like a weight has been lifted off me. He was telling me that I needed to believe that it really wasn't my fault what he did. I mean, I know that's the case, but I always thought as a child that I had done wrong."

"He was a perverted old man. You were just a child, you did nothing wrong."

"You should be a therapist!"

"Thanks! Did you talk about anything else?"

"We did. We discussed us, I mean you and me, what I feel for you, what it is that I want to come from us."

"Any ground breaking revelations?"

"None that I hadn't already realised." I risked a smile at her. "You're going on Monday?"

"Yeap. Pam burst out laughing when I told her I was in therapy."

She looked surprised. "She's back?" I nodded. " Have you two made up, I mean you guys fell out over me."

"I've never quite understood what Pam's problem is with you. Maybe the two of you need to talk it out, but I don't mind annoying the fuck out of her in the meantime. I'm not going to let anything she says about you change my mind about you, and quite simply she has been warned more than enough times to butt the fuck out."

"Eric, I don't want to come between you and your sister."

"She may enjoy that." I couldn't resist it.

Sookie looked confused for a brief second before throwing a piece of bread at me. "You're sick! I really don't swing that way!" She was laughing at least.

"Neither does she anymore."

"What?"

"I came home on Wednesday to find Pam sat in my kitchen with her new fiancé Russell."

"Tell me it's not a woman in drag with a fake beard!"

I laughed at her imagery. "I can't say I did a full examination, but I'm fairly certain it's a real man."

"Wow. I always saw Pam as being on the militant side. She's engaged to a man? How the hell did that happen?"

"She met him in Paris, apparently. He's from Mississippi and obviously wealthy. He knows her past but strangely appears to love her. She even seemed happy, which is unlike my sister."

After our meal I helped Sookie clean up the dishes and we sat down on the sofa in her living room. I couldn't help but look at the place where I'd given Sookie her first orgasm.

She again noticed my distraction. "I never could get rid of this thing. I know I probably should have, but I just couldn't." We both sank down at different ends of the sofa. "Can I admit something to you?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You won't laugh at me?"

"I can't promise that if I don't know what you're going to ask. But I can promise to take what you're going to say in all seriousness."

I had absolutely no idea what she was going to say, but I noticed a blush beginning to form. She held her breath momentarily before speaking. "What you did … the two orgasms you gave me …" I raised an eyebrow, this wasn't what I expected. "Well …."

"Well?" I repeated, my voice strained.

"They are the best two orgasms I've ever had."

She buried her face in her hands but I simply stared at her, unsure of quite how to respond. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The orgasms you gave me were the best I've ever had."

"Really? I can assure you I can do much better than that." Her blush was spreading down her neck. "Bill wasn't up to much then?"

"Nope. I more often that not had to finish myself off while I thought about tall Swedish men?"

"Anyone in particular?"

"Don't push your luck, Mr Ego. Remember I wasn't your biggest fan back then." She poked her finger into my chest.

"I'm sorry that Bill wasn't up to much." I wanted to promise her many orgasms to make up for it, but considered that to be a little pushy.

"Hey, I married him. I never told him about you."

"I guessed that when I met him in London."

"To be fair to him maybe I would have thought he was okay if I hadn't been spoiled by you." I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm just stroking your ego now, aren't I?"

"I can think of other things you can stroke." My voice was almost a growl.

My brain filter obviously wasn't working. I could see the look of shock on her face. I needed to apologise straight away.

"Sookie, I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. Forgive me?" She didn't respond but carried on looking at me. "Sookie, please. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I don't want to fuck things up between us."

She started laughing, much to my relief. "It's okay, Eric. You shocked me a little, but it was more fun seeing your reaction."

"You're evil, Miss Stackhouse."

"Sorry, couldn't resist it. Though I have to admit that things look a little tight down there."

"It's what happens when you tell me I gave you the best orgasms you've had. I'm fine though." I shifted in my seat to relieve some of the tightness in my pants. It didn't help when she snuggled up beside me and rested her blonde head on my chest.

"I'm pleased I have that effect on you. I could help out if you like?"

"Not helping." I unfortunately knew she was not serious.

She laughed joyfully and I could feel her warm breath through the fabric of my sweater. I was starting to feel a little hot under the collar.

"Want to watch a film? I have a habit of buying films and not watching them."

We had a look through her quite impressive collection and settled on watching _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_, which neither one of us had seen, but I'd always wanted to. After turning the lights off she snuggled back into my side and I wrapped an arm around her. It was a strangely apt choice of film, though I may have been a little confused regarding the storyline at times since I was somewhat distracted at Sookie wriggling at my side. But I was enjoying her wriggling immensely. I loved the closeness and familiarity that came from just sitting with her and watching a film together. We just as easily could have been married for thirty years.

But I was done for when the film ended and her wriggling turned into stroking as her hand snaked inside my sweater. I suppressed a gasp as her hands ran over my chest and stomach and it was all I could do not to moan as her hand explored my topography. I was forced to respond when she squeezed a sensitive nipple.

"Sookie, you're living dangerously." She squeezed my other nipple for effect.

"Well it's your fault. I've wanted to do that since you put on your little show in your office." She removed her hand and I missed the skin-on-skin contact.

"I apologise, I won't do it again."

She pulled back and sat up, her features only lit by the minimal light coming from the TV. "Won't do it again? It should be illegal for you to wear a shirt."

"I'm glad you think so. I'd say likewise."

She moved back to my side and brought her lips to mine. I let her lead the kiss as she gently sucked on my bottom lip; holding back with all the restraint I had. "Kiss me, Eric," she whispered into my mouth.

I crashed my lips against her and kissed her with all the hunger I had from the previous few months of sexual frustration. I pushed her back onto the sofa, her small frame beneath me as she ran her fingers through my hair and down my back, her nails digging into my muscles. Our tongues began to dual as I focused on breathing through my nose, not wanting to remove my lips from hers.

Her legs wrapped around my back bringing her hot sex closer to me. I tried with all I could to not grind against her, but her movements were doing just that. I was painfully hard and aware that if we didn't stop soon I'd be dry humping her.

"Sookie …"I warned in the most coherent tone possible. I didn't want this to end, but I didn't want to rush this. I wanted her to be sure.

"Please, Eric." Her voice was but a moan. "I need this."

She was rubbing herself on my jeans and I took the opportunity to sit up, taking her with me so we were in the sitting position and she had more opportunity for leverage. I gently held her waist as we continued to kiss and she moaned into my mouth. I was intent on letting her set the pace between us even though I needed it as much as she did.

She started pulling at the bottom of my sweater and mumbled something that resembled 'off' into my mouth and I leaned forward to allow her access to remove it. As soon as it was flying across the room she started kissing and nibbling down my neck, her hot breath conversely sending shivers through my body as her finger nails ran over my chest. I threw my head back against the sofa, my eyes tightly shut as she kissed my neck while continuing to rub herself on my jeans.

"Eric … so close."

It was only a moan, but I knew what she was asking. I moved my right hand to take it's place beneath her dress, my thumb on her clit over her soaked panties as she continued to rub against me. My eyes searched hers and it was evident that is what she had wanted.

My mouth found hers again and we resumed kissing as her movements increased in pace. I was dangerously close to coming myself but I needed for her to get there first. I began to move my thumb in rhythm with her and within seconds she started shaking slightly before throwing her head back and letting out a scream of satisfaction.

She'd screamed 'Eric', and that was more than enough for me to come hard in my pants with a grunt.

My breath was as erratic as hers and I pulled her close to me. "Are you okay?" I asked as soon as my breathing had resumed to an acceptable pace.

"I am, thank you. At least I now have a top three orgasms."

"Glad to be of service." I gently kissed her neck, tasting the slight salty perspiration.

"Did you …?"

"Yes. I don't think I've come in my pants since I was a teenager." I laughed.

"Glad to be of service," she repeated with a smirk.

She stayed in my arms for an hour or so longer, and for the most part we remained quiet. It was going to be very hard to leave her in Bon Temps, but I knew I needed to give her her space.

"I should go. I don't want us to move too fast if you're not comfortable with it." I was searching her eyes.

"I know, and maybe that was a little soon, but I really needed that. And I'm guessing you did too."

"You have no idea!"

She got up off me and I adjusted my rather wet jeans. It was not going to be a comfortable ride back to Shreveport unless I took them off, which was an option I was seriously considering. "You don't have any spare pants?" She asked with a smile.

"Unfortunately not. I just didn't cross my mind that I might need some in case I jizzed in my pants."

"I can see that. And thank you, Eric, that was much appreciated."

"The _pleasure_ was mine."

I gave her a kiss on the nose and climbed into my corvette for the journey back to Shreveport. It had been an unexpected evening, but I couldn't say I wasn't pleased with how things were progressing between us.

.

I spent Sunday and much of Monday glued to my laptop and phone as I worked hard before my meeting with Niall on the Monday evening. It went much better than I had expected and seemed a lot less formal than the meeting I'd had with Sookie. We talked about my past history with women, my reluctance to form any kind of lasting relationship or commit myself to anyone. Niall made me realise that I couldn't control relationships, that I had to accept that I would be vulnerable and open to hurt, that I had to trust Sookie with my heart.

I felt emotionally drained by the time I left Niall's office an hour later and went to the store in search of something unhealthy that I could chuck in the oven. After queuing in the store I walked back to the car, threw the bag on the passenger seat and moved to climb in. That was until I felt something hard jab into my spine.

"Get away from the car, Northman." I recognised that voice.

I did as the voice said and stepped away from the corvette. Whatever was being pushed into my back was removed.

"Turn around and keep your hands where I can see them." It was John Quinn.

I turned to face him, keeping my hands out in front of me so he could see them. He was holding a silver handgun which was pointing directly at my chest.

He'd bulked out and was now a huge man. He'd always been tall, perhaps even taller than me, but with his extra weight he was huge. He was wearing dark clothes and had a baseball cap on to hide his balding head. He'd been balding even the last time I had seen him ten years previous.

"It's been a while Northman. Stackhouse told me you were wealthy now, and I can see from this little beauty that you are. Now give me the key to her and all the cash you have."

I was glad that I kept the corvette key separate to my house keys which were buried inside my pocket. I handed it to him and slowly went about getting my wallet from my back pocket. Quinn was in luck that I'd just made a withdrawal which I intended to pay one of my contractors with, so I probably had close to a thousand dollars in cash. If it meant him keeping the fuck away I didn't care. I handed him the cash which he seemed pleased with as he stuffed it in his back pocket .

"Since we used to be friends, Northman, I'm going to let you live. I'm going to be long gone and out of the state by morning. But Stackhouse tells me that his sister works for you now, this true?"

"Yes, she has a junior role." Technically not true, but I needed to play the part to survive. At this range I'd be dead instantly. I was trying to calm myself down, but him mentioning Sookie was not helping.

"He says she's still in that farmhouse of hers. I never should have let you take her. I'd have enjoyed corrupting that one. We'll see if we can change that, shall we?" He climbed into the corvette, his gun pointing at me the whole time. "Shame we couldn't meet under better circumstances." And with that he sped off out of the car park.

"Son, are you okay? I saw all of that, I'm going into the store to call the police. Can I get you anything?"

I looked at the old woman who was talking to me but I could hardly register her words. I needed to call Sookie.

"Fine, thanks." I muttered to her before calling Sookie. She seemed to take an age to answer.

"Hey Eric! Sorry, I was just getting out of the shower." Her voice was jolly, I hated that I had to ruin her mood.

"Look, Sookie, I need you to pack a bag with a few changes of clothes and get the hell out of your house. Please do this for me now, come to Shreveport, I'll meet you at the office."

"Eric, what's wrong? I can't just leave like that?"

"Please, Sookie. I've just seen Quinn, he had a gun. He's taken my car and I think he's coming your way. Please leave home straight away."

"He's taken your car?"

"Sookie! He has a gun and he's coming in your direction. Please, Sookie, please leave home. Lock your house up and head to the office. Please Sookie." I wasn't beyond begging. If I'd had a car I'd have been heading in her direction to meet her half way.

"You think he's coming towards me? Shit." I didn't want to scare her, but I needed to get her away from him. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. "Okay, Eric. I'll pack a bag and meet you at the office. I should be there in just over an hour."

"Thank you." I was relieved she was getting out of Bon Temps. "Call me if there are ANY problems, okay?"

"Will do, see you soon."

I had about an hour until she would be in Shreveport so I hopped in a cab which drove me home and I picked up my black Ferrari 458 Italia. I needed a car that had some speed.

When I arrived back at the office I had about half an hour to wait. I tried to distract myself with nonsense games on my iPhone but my mind was wandering.

At ten minutes to go I got out and paced. What if something happened to her crappy car? I hated her driving that death trap. I was resolved to buy her a new car. I didn't care if she would hate me for it, I could not have her in that thing. Maybe I could convince her to drive one of mine until I bought her the new one.

After an hour there was still no sign of her and I began to worry. What if he had gotten to her? What if Jason told him what car she drove and he'd seen her? I hoped that Sookie had taken the highway so at least there would be other traffic around. I was going to kill Jason for telling Quinn where Sookie was. What the fuck did he think he was doing putting her life in danger? I was certain Quinn must have escaped from jail or be jumping parole, so maybe I could tell the police Jason was consorting with a known criminal.

I'd phoned the police from my car as I'd driven back to the office building, though the insurance call could wait. I had no intention of worrying about my car until I knew that she was safe.

Another ten minutes had passed and I was beyond panicking.

After twenty I was close to a coronary. I didn't want to phone her if she was driving. I didn't want to be the cause of her crashing.

It was five minutes after that that my phone rang.


	23. Chapter 23

_Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter - I couldn't resist it. But here is the next chapter in record time._

* * *

**Sookie**

I hardly slept the night after Eric left. It got to three in the morning when I gave up trying to sleep and went to clean the kitchen. All I could think about was Eric. His touch, his kisses, the incredible orgasm he gave me. It was astounding me at quite how much I wanted him.

Eric made me smile. I enjoyed the time I spent with him when we were together and alone, and I wanted more time to get to know him. I was willing to put in the effort to make this work, and I had a feeling that he felt the same.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I had a few doubts deep down, and that was something I was going to be discussing further with Dr Brigant. I had some deep rooted issues with men and being able to trust them, and in some ways, Dr Brigant had told me, it was Bill's betrayal that had probably caused the most damage. Bill, I had trusted, I had married. We had been together a long time and he slowly infiltrated my mind. I felt safe with him. I may not have ever been passionate about him in the way I was about Eric, but I felt like he was the rock to which I was anchored.

And he set me sail when he cheated on me. Dr Brigant had suggested that I talk to him. Find out further details about what he did and how long he'd been with Lorena. I knew that he'd been working for her for four years – had they been sleeping together that whole time? I'd met her quite a few times at various events and I never saw her with another man. Was I stupid and naïve not to see Bill's true self?

I was 100% sure I liked the idea of contacting Bill, but maybe with Eric's support I could do it. I would certainly love to see the look on Bill's face if he ever realised that the Eric he met in London was now mine. And I'd love even more to tell him that I had slept with Eric before him and Eric was so much better in bed than him. But I guess no one likes to be told that they're crap in bed.

After the kitchen was shining and smelling of an alpine forest I finally felt tired enough to collapse and I fell into bed to sleep for a few hours before I was meeting Amelia. It was to be the first time we'd really talked since I kicked her out of my home, and I owed her a huge apology. The fact that she'd agreed to meet with me at least suggested that she was willing to hear me out.

After waking at ten-thirty I quickly showered and changed before heading off in the direction of Shreveport. The temptation to call Eric was huge, but I settled for a friendly text telling him that I really enjoyed Saturday night. I think, to be honest, we both did.

I met Amelia in a restaurant where we were to have a late breakfast. She was already sat in the booth reading the menu when I arrived. "Morning Meals."

"You look like shit!" she said as I sat opposite her in the booth.

"Gee, thanks. I didn't get a huge amount of sleep last night."

"Oh, do tell." She was giving me a knowing look. "Oh, and that reminds me, Franklin asked me to give you his number. If you're interested that is?" Great, just what I needed.

"Um, if you could tell Franklin that I'm not interested, that would be good."

"Sure thing. So what's the reason for your lack of sleep?"

"Eric came over last night and … "

She interrupted me "Oh, so Eric was keeping you up was he? Sure it wasn't you keeping him up?"

"Mind out the gutter, Broadway." I mockingly scolded her.

"Right, so it was all PG then was it?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Just spill, Stackhouse. Last time I saw you you hadn't seen him for weeks and you weren't talking to each other."

We were interrupted briefly by the waitress coming to take our order, and once she was out of earshot I told Amelia all about the events of the previous week.

"You dry humped each other?" She almost shouted earning us a few looks from people surrounding us. "What are you both, twelve?"

"Twelve? I can assure you I was not dry humping boys at twelve. Don't assess me against your lowly standards!"

"You're just jealous! Was he good, at least?"

I could feel my blush rising as I thought back to the events of the night before. "Incredible. He's being so patient with me, he's not pushing me. In fact if anything it's always me that has to initiate anything between us."

"He's just holding back. I'm guessing a man like that is a total sex fiend once he's unleashed. You'll end up with friction burns."

"Okay! Thanks!"

"Just warning you. Look, I'm really pleased that things seem to be working for you now. You seem infinitely happier now, even from the last time I saw you in the club. I know the two of you have some pretty major issues you need to work past, but you're doing the right thing in seeing a therapist. You've needed to see one for years. Hell, you should have seen one for marrying Bill in the first place!"

"Yeah, I know. The doctor reckons I should get in contact with Bill and find out the truth from him."

"You think that Bill would even tell you the truth now? I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Though I would like to throw him off the edge of the Grand Canyon."

"You're not the only one!"

"Thatta girl! You wasted eight years with that douche when you probably should have been with Eric. Think of the beautiful children the two of you could have!"

"Okay! Not even going there."

It still worried me slightly to think of that kind of future with Eric. I'd always wanted kids but I was trying to not to get my hopes up about quite where our relationship could go. I didn't want to hope for a future that could not be mine and I knew I would be crushed if I ever allowed myself to think about such things too much.

"Sook, don't freak out over this. I was just saying that genetically the two of you are highly compatible. Think of the beautiful blue eyed blonde children that you two could produce."

Amelia was luckily interrupted by the arrival of our food. We both had large breakfasts with eggs and bacon, and we were both quiet while we ate and drank large glasses of sweet tea.

When we were both done I took the opportunity to apologise to Amelia. "Meals, I want to say just how sorry I am for the way I treated you. I was a complete bitch and the fact was that you were right the whole time. I'm sorry, really I am."

"That's okay, Sook. I know that you didn't mean it, that you were just stressed out by other things. And I'm glad the two of you have managed to sort things out as you're obviously meant to be together. He seemed as miserable as you were. One question though, did you ever find out who the woman was in the picture I left you?"

"Yeah, thanks for that!" I said sarcastically. "She was the catalyst in some ways, it was seeing her again with Eric that led me to break down in the way I did. She's called Isabel and she's an old friend of Eric's. Her dad is actually our therapist. Why do you ask?"

"Just that she's sat over there."

I turned and followed Amelia's gaze and saw Isabel sat at the breakfast bar on her own reading a newspaper. She saw me look and smiled. I indicated for her to join us, and she grabbed her coffee cup and came over as I moved along the booth to make room for her.

"Isabel, good to see you. This is my old college friend Amelia, Amelia, Isabel."

They briefly shook hands before Isabel turned to me. "So how are things? You certainly look better than the last time I saw you." Amelia snorted and I glared at her.

"Yeah, sorry about that, my jealousy got the better of me." I could feel myself starting to blush.

"Don't worry about it. It was what made Eric realise that you do care for him. You wouldn't have had that reaction to seeing me with him if you didn't."

"I still feel a fool."

"Sookie, he loves you a great deal."

Fuck. "He told you that?"

"Not in those words, but I've known Eric my whole life and you are the only one he's ever had a reaction to. I hope that you will love him as much as he loves you."

"She does." Amelia answered bluntly. "She's just too damn stubborn to admit it. He makes her happy, but she likes to do things that hard way."

"Thank you, Amelia." I glared at her.

"The course of true love never runs smoothly. Remember that, Sookie. You'll be stronger together because of what you have had to do to get there."

I sat and pondered Isabel's words while her and Amelia chatted about something or other. I had a feeling they were talking about me, but I couldn't focus on what was being said. Did we really love each other? I knew I certainly lusted after him – that was evident from last night's encounter – but were we in love? I imagined that only time would tell. I needed to give it a chance.

I found myself looking forward to our therapy session on the Wednesday of the following week just so I could spend time with Eric. Sure, being in therapy with someone wouldn't have been my favourite way of enjoying Eric's company, but it was better than nothing and I hoped that we would go out for dinner afterwards. I needed to think of some other excuses for seeing him other than the once a week Dr Brigant had prescribed.

After leaving Amelia and Isabel I headed home and finished some chores around the house before my tiredness hit me and I fell into bed. On the Monday I exchanged a few emails with Eric but it was obvious he was busy and I knew he was leaving earlier than his usual seven because of his meeting with Niall.

As I drove home I couldn't help but wonder how his session was going. I wanted to be a fly on the wall, I wanted to know what was being said about me (if anything) while I wasn't there. It just made me look forward to the Wednesday session more. When I got home I decided on taking a shower straight away before I started anything to eat, however as I climbed out of the shower I heard my phone ring with the tone that I had assigned to Eric. I rushed over to it to answer.

He was calling me. I felt ecstatic. "Hey Eric!" I gushed. "Sorry, I was just getting out of the shower." I sat down on my bed with only my towel wrapped around me as I roughly dried my hair with another one.

"Look, Sookie, I need you to pack a bag with a few changes of clothes and get the hell out of your house." His voice was panicked, not something I was used to. "Please do this for me now, come to Shreveport, I'll meet you at the office."

"Eric, what's wrong? I can't just leave like that?"

"Please, Sookie. I've just seen Quinn, he had a gun. He's taken my car and I think he's coming your way. Please leave home straight away."

Fuck! At least Eric was okay. "He's taken your car?" I knew how much Eric loved that car. For some reason that fact that Quinn was armed didn't register with me.

"Sookie! He has a gun and he's coming in your direction. Please, Sookie, please leave home. Lock your house up and head to the office. Please Sookie."

His tone was causing me to panic. Eric was normally calm and collected. "You think he's coming towards me? Shit." I looked down at myself, I was only wearing a towel. "Okay, Eric. I'll pack a bag and meet you at the office. I should be there in just over an hour."

"Thank you." His tone was one of relief. "Call me if there are ANY problems, okay?"

"Will do, see you soon."

I pulled on some undergarments and threw an additional few sets on my bed to be packed. I pulled my hair back into a tight bun and put on some jeans and a t-shirt and set about packing a few outfits as Eric had requested. I didn't quite know where I was going to sleep, but I knew Amelia had a spare room that I could use. I grabbed a small case from the closet in the hallway and packed my clothes, shoes and toiletries, having a glimpse around my bedroom and bathroom to make sure that I had everything.

Once grabbing my phone and purse I locked up the house and dumped my case on the back seat of the car. All I needed was my car to work. The fucking thing had been playing up over the last few days and caused me no end of problems in getting it started. As expected, it did not start.

I cursed the car loudly as I continued to try the ignition, using all my usual methods of coaxing the car into life. It must have been on my fiftieth attempt that it finally came to life. I was definitely buying a new car. It was only then that I realised it had been almost half an hour since Eric's call.

I drove through Bon Temps as quickly as possible and joined the highway which luckily was not too busy, however when I was around half way to Shreveport the traffic began to get worse and eventually I was only crawling in the direction of Shreveport. It soon became evident that hold up was as a result of a collision. I had been in the outside lane and was directed by the police to join the inside lane.

There was carnage on the road in front although I could only see one car. And it was a cherry-red corvette. Had Eric come to get me? Was that him? I felt myself begin to panic as I drove past the mangled remains of the car wreck. The impact had hit the passenger side but both air bags had been fully inflated.

There was no sign of the driver. Or any ambulance for that matter.

I shakily grabbed my purse and pulled out my phone. I wasn't a fan of using my cell while driving, but this was necessity. As the pace of the traffic increased I hit Eric's number.

He answered instantly. "Sookie, where are you?" He was almost yelling, his voice panicked.

"I'm on my way into Shreveport. You're okay?"

"Apart from shitting bricks waiting for you, I'm fine."

"Thank Christ for that. There was an accident on the highway – it was a red corvette. I thought it was you. It was coming from the Shreveport area, I was so worried." I was beginning to hyperventilate.

"I'm okay. Quinn took my car. Was it him?"

"There was no body or anything, only police."

"Sook, just get here as quickly as you can. Lock your doors and don't let anyone in, okay?"

"Okay. See you soon."

"You'd better."

We both hung up and I threw my phone on the passenger seat next to my purse. Luckily the remaining trip to Shreveport was uneventful and I saw Eric's blonde head pacing by a black car. As soon as I pulled up he was at my door and he pulled me out of the car. He held onto me tightly, my head buried into his chest as his was in my neck. He placed a brief kiss on my neck before pulling away.

I could see that he had a few tears on his cheeks. I leaned up and wiped them away, our eyes never leaving each others.

"I thought …. I thought he may have got to you. I was so worried, Sook. I hate that you live out there on your own." He looked a wreck.

"Eric, what happened?" I was gently caressing his neck.

"Quinn. He held me at gunpoint and took my car and cash. He told me he was heading in your direction, that he …. that he never should have let me be the one with you, that he could have corrupted you."My heart was thumping as he recounted his story and a solitary tear fell down his cheek. I leaned up to kiss his lips. "What took you so long? I was going mad with worry."

"I'm sorry, my car wouldn't start and the I hit the traffic …"

"Your car wouldn't start? You do realise that I am going to buy you a new one."

"You're not. I have some money saved up, I can buy one myself. I've been looking at second-hand …" His lips found my mouth and worked well at silencing me.

"You're not driving a second-hand car. I'm buying you a new one and the matter is non-negotiable."

"Eric, stop being so high-handed!"

"If your safety makes me high-handed then so be it. I'm not saying you have to have a Porsche or Corvette or Ferrari, I just want you to drive something reliable and safe. Sook, imagine what would have happened if your car hadn't have started? Quinn was headed in your direction."

"And he wrapped himself around a tree." I said, exasperated.

"You said yourself there was no ambulance. What if he escaped? He could still be on the run now. I don't want you going home until he's been arrested. I mean it."

"Eric." I was resigned to defeat but that didn't mean I had to take it easily.

"I'm serious, Sookie." The expression on his face confirmed that.

"Fine. I'll call Amelia, I'm sure she won't have any issues with me staying with her." I turned back to my open car door and scooped down to pick up my phone off the car seat. When I turned back to Eric his expression was one of grief and it stopped me in my tracks.

"Eric?" He didn't answer but simply clenched his jaw shut. "Eric, what is it?"

"You'd rather stay your friend than me?"

I hadn't realised that was an option, and I certainly didn't want to assume. I could see that he was searching my eyes and I could almost feel him silently begging me.

"Not particularly. I didn't realise I had the option of your house."

"I have four bedrooms and I only need one. You're more than welcome, but if you'd prefer you could stay in the corporate apartment, it's empty at the moment …"

"I'd love to, Eric. Thank you."

He pulled me into his arms again and kissed the top of my head. "Think your car will start or shall we take mine?"

"I can't say I'm hugely confident. Let me give it a go."

Amazingly it did start. It was almost as if the car knew it was likely to be scrapped. I triumphantly grinned at Eric as he rolled his eyes and climbed into the black car that looked suspiciously like a Ferrari. Eric led the way and I followed him back to his home in the gated community of Shreveport. I followed up the impressive driveway which was well lit by old fashioned lanterns that reminded me of _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_.

I parked my car in front of his house, aware of quite how out of place it looked. "I expect that to still be in one piece tomorrow morning." I said, my hands on my hips.

"I wouldn't count on it."

He took my case from me and held my hand with his spare one and led me up the stairs to his front door. As I crossed the threshold and into his home, something just felt right. I was meant to be there. He led me up the sweeping staircase and took me around to the right.

"You can have a choice of rooms while you are here, so I will let you choose."

He placed my bag down on the plush cream carpet and opened door number one. The room was large and decorated in a pale pink with a large bed dominating the room and pale wood furniture. The room was at the front of the house and had views across the driveway which I imagined were spectacular in the daylight. It was nice but it wasn't quite me.

"I should probably say that this is Pam's room. Well, her design anyway and the one she uses if she ever stays, which isn't very often."

"It's not particularly me. And I wouldn't want to take Pam's room."

He smiled at me before leading me past a corridor that led to our right and towards the bedroom at the back. It was light and airy with white walls and a silver bed. It was classily done, but a little clinical for my liking. I preferred something that was a little warmer. After walking around the room I indicated for Eric to continue and he led me past the staircase and to the room at the left of the staircase.

This room was gorgeous with a huge dark wood four-poster bed in the centre of the room with dark red fabric contrasting the warm cream walls. There was cherry wood furniture and some beautiful paintings on the walls. I immediately loved it and ventured into the bathroom which was large and equally spectacular with a gorgeous shower and whirlpool bath.

Eric was leaning against the doorway as I came out of the bathroom. "I thought you would like this room. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, please know that. Unless of course you want to move in next door?" He was smirking at me.

"Your room, I'm guessing?"

"Maybe."

He took my hand and led me to the last bedroom. It was the largest room by far and decorated in rich earthy tones of red, brown and cream. The bed was a huge four poster, but then it did have to accommodate someone as large as Eric.

"I love this room. But where would you sleep?"

"I think the bed would be big enough for both of us should you chose to sleep in here with me. But you're welcome to any room." He kissed me softly on the nose. "Have you eaten?"

"No. I was showering before I started dinner. Have you?"

"No. The food I bought was commandeered by Quinn. How about I call us take out? I need to phone the police again anyway."

Eric carried my case into the room next to his and we went back downstairs and into the comfortable living room. He handed me a few take-away menus and we agreed on Chinese. After placing the order he phoned the police and told them that we thought the car crashed on the highway was his and that it may mean Quinn was out on foot. Obviously the police wouldn't tell him whether anyone was injured in the crash, but he was told that it was his car.

After eating I curled up next to Eric on the sofa, my head on his chest. "What if he's never caught?" I mused.

"Well it means that you're never going home for one."

I was kind of hoping that he would get away. I didn't want to leave. "Oh really? I may need more than a few changes of clothes then."

"I'm fine with naked," he smirked.

"I'm sure you are with your Swedish blood and all, but I'm not." I laced my fingers into his hand.

"I'll more than happy to escort you home to pick up more belongings. Or I can buy you more. I'm happy either way."

"You're not buying me new clothes."

"Just a car then?" He was living dangerously.

"Eric –"

"Sook, I know we come from different worlds and you no doubt think that I can throw money at anything, but the fact is I have more than I know what to do with. I have my extravagances with my cars, but I'm not some playboy floating on a yacht around the Mediterranean while other people run my business and I reap the rewards. I work hard for the money I earn and have little time to spend it. I _want_ to do nice things for you. I want to support you financially. I know it may seem a little caveman to want to support his woman, but it's what I want to do."

I was a little stunned by his speech. I had to be honest that his money did bother me in some ways. I'd been upset with him for re-gravelling my driveway, fixing my car and offering to pay me sick pay when I hurt my ankle. But he was right, it was a much bigger issue to me than it was to him.

"I'm your woman?" I smiled up at him as I repeated his words.

"I certainly want you to be."

"Are you my man?" Our eyes were locked on each other.

"Definitely."

I kissed him on the lips. "Good."

I buried my head back into his chest and pulled myself closer to him. We watched TV for a while before we were both too tired and I was beginning to nod off.

"So what do you like for breakfast?" he asked as he extended a hand out to me.

"I usually have some fruit and yoghurt, but I'm open to anything as long as there's coffee involved."

"I'll see what I can do." He held my hand as he led me back up the stairs. We stopped outside the door to my room. I felt as if I was leaving him after being on a date rather than staying in his house.

"There are towels in the cupboard and plenty of toiletries for you to use. If there's anything else you need just let me know." He was being the perfect gentleman. "Goodnight, Sookie."

"Night, Eric."

He pulled me to him and bent down to kiss me firmly on the lips. I moaned at the contact and he took the opportunity to slip a little tongue into my mouth. His hands were on my back pulling me close to him and I could feel his erection pushing into my stomach. I held onto his firm and strong biceps as we kissed and I rubbed myself against him.

It was Eric that eventually pulled away, leaning down and resting his head against mine. "If I don't stop now, I'm never going to be able to. I want you Sookie, but I want it to be the right time."

I knew what he meant. Having a quick fuck against a door frame was not going to be the way for us to rekindle our relationship. "I know. I should probably go to bed."

He kissed me on the head again and left me to go into my own room. I brushed out my hair which had some major kinks in it and unpacked my things, hanging my work clothes in the large closet in the room. One thing I realised I hadn't thought to bring was something to sleep in.

I could have slept in just my panties, but I'd never been a fan of that. The only option was to borrow something of Eric's. His t-shirts were certainly big enough to act as a nightdress for me. I left my room and tapped quietly on Eric's door. "Eric?" I called softly.

The door opened quickly. "Are you alright?" His face was one of concern but I could not stop my eyes from wondering south. He was wearing only a pair of snugly fitting black Armani boxers that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. I swallowed audibly as my eyes travelled right the way down his toned and muscular legs and back up to his boxers which were becoming increasingly snug by the minute, up his toned abdominal muscles, past his chest and perfect arms to his face which was certainly wearing a smirk. "See something you like?"

I could feel the heat rising within me and I was certain I was bright red. "Um, I was just going to ask whether you had a t-shirt I could borrow as I appear to have forgotten my nightdress." I was trying desperately to focus on his face. It shouldn't be fair that anyone could be as good looking as him.

"Sure."

The door remained open as he walked across his room and pulled a shirt out of a drawer for me. And he had to bend over to do so. Good god his ass was incredible. I think I may have been drooling when he came back to me and handed me a plain red t-shirt. I wasn't surprised at his choice of colour.

"You're only allowed to wear that if you promise to model it for me."

"Okay." I squeaked.

"Night Sookie. And feel free to stare at my ass any time. I always do yours." He winked at me as he shut his door and I found my way back to my own room.

After changing, washing and pulling on Eric's far too big for me t-shirt I slipped into the bed. But I couldn't sleep. I felt wide awake and I was all too conscious of Eric next door in his own room. Possibly sleeping naked. I wanted him more than anything, but not just in a sexual way. I wanted to snuggle into his side or sleep with his large body wrapped around mine.

I found myself wondering whether he would mind if I climbed into bed with him. This room felt too large and lonely. Sure, I used to sleep in an empty house with no one else around, but this felt different. I didn't want to be here alone.

Using all the bravery I could muster I got out of bed and padded in the direction of the door, not wanting to put the light on. When out in the hallway I could see a faint light coming from underneath his door, and since I was fairly sure he wasn't the type to sleep with a night light, I was sure he was still awake.

I tapped lightly before quietly opening his door. Eric was sat up in his bed reading an old book with light from the lamp beside him. And he had those fuckhot glasses on again. It was all I could do to not jump him.

"I wasn't expecting a fashion show so quickly." He pulled his glasses off and was openly leering at me dressed in his shirt. "You look fucking incredible in my clothes."

"Thank you. I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

"Can I join you? Since it's such a large bed and all."

"Of course."

He pushed back the covers on the other side of him and, after closing the door behind me, I went and climbed in beside him. He put his book down and placed his glasses carefully on top.

"I think I'll sleep better in here." I observed.

"I do to."

He pulled me close to him, his large and warm body wrapped around me and I had fallen asleep in seconds.

* * *

_Are things going too fast? Should they just give in to their urges?_

_Let me know what you think._

_x  
_


	24. Chapter 24

_A mixed bag on whether they're going too fast or not, so I'll see where the story takes them._

_I love the reviews, favourites and alerts. Thanks for taking the time to read._

* * *

**Eric**

I awoke to find myself tightly wrapped around Sookie and a serious case of morning wood. I didn't want to move and quite simply I couldn't imagine myself in a more perfect position. I breathed in her scent pulling her as close to me as possible before I made the move away from her. I assumed she probably wouldn't be too keen to wake up to my erection poking into her thigh. I groaned and turned over to see that it was only five a.m. I'd probably only slept for four hours, but I was very much awake.

After kissing Sookie softly on the head I quietly got out of bed and pulled a pair of shorts and t-shirt from my dresser before leaving Sookie alone to head downstairs. I went into the kitchen to put the coffee pot on for when Sookie did eventually wake and pulled on my running shoes. After stretching to warm up I stated the treadmill, initially at a low speed but slowly increasing the speed up to my usual pace. I needed too get my blood pumping to some other parts of my body.

Running always gave me chance to think, and the fact was that I could not remember a time that I had ever been more scared then when I was waiting for Sookie to phone me. The pure relief when she did finally call nearly crushed me and I had to lean against my car for support. I hadn't totally relaxed until I saw her drive her trashy car into the parking lot. There was nothing I could do but pull her into my arms, the tension finally able to wash away from me. I didn't want to think what I would have done if Quinn had got to her. I couldn't imagine not being with her and I was going to do everything possible not to lose her.

I was aware that it was still early days for us and maybe things were moving a little too quickly considering the make-out session we'd had at the weekend and now her sleeping in my bed, but I couldn't help it when she was around me. I also wasn't going to push her for sex. It was sex that got us into this mess in the first place and I was going to let her dictate the pace. Maybe it was something we needed to talk further to Niall about. Should we be moving at such a fast pace? Was it even right that she was staying at my house, let alone in my bed? I just didn't want her to be anywhere else while Quinn was on the loose. I would have to call the police later and find out what was going on. If Sookie was a target I was not going to let her out of my sight until I knew he was locked up. A rather large part of me hoped he'd stay on the run if it meant she'd stay with me longer.

My other concern was whether Sookie would want people to know what was going on between us. And this was something we probably needed to address soon. I was under no illusion that should Sookie and I arrive at work together than within hours the whole office would be talking. Gossip like that would spread like wildfire and since I had made a point of never dating any woman at the office it would very much be a water cooler topic of conversation.

Personally I didn't give two shits about what people said. I'd rather not be gossiped about, but I was serious about Sookie and people were just going to have to get used to it. It was more Sookie's reaction that I was concerned about. Sure, neither one of us would want people to know the history between us, but I saw no problem in admitting that we knew each other growing up in Bon Temps and had rekindled our relationship since she'd moved back to Louisiana. I knew I had to address this issue with her when she woke, although it wasn't exactly my favoured choice of conversation.

I ran for around an hour before starting some weights and while lost in my thoughts Sookie entered the room. As soon as she came in I dropped the weights and found myself drawn to her as I impulsively walked in her direction.

"You weren't there when I woke," she observed.

"Sorry, I felt the need for some exercise. I think I needed the distraction."

"From what?"

"You in my bed with only my t-shirt on." She was still only wearing my t-shirt. I found myself getting hard again. Her tanned legs poking out from the bottom of the shirt that was like a dress on her.

"I'd have like to have woken up with you." Fuck. That just knocked the sense out of me.

"I'm not sure that you'd have appreciated how certain parts of me woke up." I couldn't resist smirking at her slightly and I raised an eyebrow.

"I see the need for the distraction." She smiled.

"Are you hungry? I need to shower but you're welcome to go and help yourself. The coffee is already on."

"I think I love you!"

My body froze and as soon as she realised what she had said, hers did too. I knew that her tone was joking and her words were simply as a response to the fact that I was supplying her with coffee. But hearing her say those words … Incredible. I could only hope for the day when she said them for real. I knew that what I held for Sookie was love. I would not have been so out-of-my-mind scared the night before had I not been in love with her. I just wanted her to realise it for herself.

"Eric … I …," she looked flustered.

"Sookie, it's okay. I know what you meant." I kissed her on the head. "I'll be down after my shower."

She still looked like she had something to say as I walked away, but I figured she probably needed to sort things out in her head. I headed back upstairs to my room, stripped off and showered much quicker than usual and pulled on my shirt and pants of a silver suit, carrying my aquamarine tie and suit jacket in my arms and placing them over the bannister as I headed into the kitchen.

Sookie was at my stove cooking omelettes, still only wearing my t-shirt and looking absolutely fucking adorable. I wasn't going to say anything inherently sexist like the fact that she looked in my kitchen, but it did feel like she belonged with me. That she should be at home in my kitchen with me. She smiled as I entered, biting her bottom lip slightly.

"Just in time, there's cheese and some cooked mushrooms on the table, but I'll do whatever you want. I didn't know what you liked. I hope you don't mind …"

I walked up to her and placed my finger softly over her lips to stop her from rambling. She looked up at me with a question in her eyes. "Thank you, Sookie. It's perfect. You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. You've done a lot for me."

I sat down at the table and she placed the omelette in front of me before starting another for herself. I sprinkled some of the grated cheese over it and piled some mushrooms onto my plate. This was a much more substantial breakfast than I was used to as I could never be bothered to spend the time to cook something in the morning. Once hers was also cooked she sat down next to me and started tucking in.

I sat and watched her eat, marvelling at her beauty. She really had no idea how beautiful she was, and it made me hate myself all over again for the way that I had treated her in the past. I only hoped that I would get the chance to make amends for the wrongs that I had caused her.

"Eric, about earlier …," she'd finished eating and had put her cutlery down neatly on her plate. "I do really like you, you know that right? I just … when I said … I'm not sure that I love you … but I mean not yet. I think I will, I just … I don't know. I'm not making sense, am I?"

She'd looked away from me and was staring at her empty plate. "Sookie, I know what you are saying. We still have a huge journey to take, but its a journey I want to take with you. I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to. I'm happy to play by your rules. I'm the one that fucked things up and I promise that I will never hurt you again."

"I know, and I want to believe you, Eric. I just need a little time to adjust."

I turned away from her to put our plates in the dishwasher and clenched my teeth sightly. I couldn't help but feel I was getting very mixed messages from Sookie. She was happy to flirt with me, kiss me, sleep in my bed, wear nothing but my t-shirt and even give me an incredible orgasm without removing my clothes. But then on the other hand she still didn't completely trust me. And I understood that, but it just didn't make it any easier. I knew I had to raise the issue of us in work as well. _No time like the present_, I thought.

"Sook, how do you want to play this regarding the office?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to go with me in my car? Or do you want to borrow one of my others since your car is a little unreliable? And if we do go in together are you aware that people will talk? I've never dated anyone in the office or even paid attention to any of the females that work there."

"I hadn't thought of that. You tend to work pretty late, so maybe it would be best if we took separate cars, I could always go and see Amelia until you get home."

"I'm more than happy to let you have a key and the code to the gate. But the work is nothing that I can't do from home, and I have to admit to worrying about Quinn still."

"He doesn't know Amelia. I'd be more than safe with her."

I wanted her to come in with me, but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to win that one. "Fine, why don't you drive my SUV. But what about tomorrow since we'll need to leave together to go to meet Niall?" It was our couples therapy again on the Wednesday. "It seems a little silly to take two cars." I was hoping that she was going to buy this.

"Fine, but I really do need to sort my car situation out. And I'm serious that I don't want you to buy me one."

"I'm sorry, we agreed on that one." I smiled at her. I fully intended to have her car ready for to drive by the Thursday morning.

"Have I ever told you, Eric Northman, that you're damn frustrating?"

"Sure you have. I'm going to phone the police today and find out more about Quinn, see if they've found him."

"Eric, I can't stay hiding here forever. I do have some semblance of a life. I don't mind staying a few nights, but I want to go back to my own home."

"I just can't let anything happen to you."

"I know, and I appreciate you caring for me. Truly, I do. But he wins if I run scared from him. If he is on the run I'm sure that he'd be long gone from Louisiana anyway."

"You're probably right, but will you at least stay until Thursday?"

"Okay, but then I'm going home."

"Fine." After all, I had a house in Bon Temps too, I didn't say.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and get ready. Won't be two ticks."

She walked out of the kitchen and I tried to commit to memory the sight of her in that t-shirt. I was never going to wash that one. I wanted to keep it with her scent over it.

While I waited for Sookie to get ready I drove my black SUV out of my garage for her and wrote down details for the code on the gate and provided a spare key in case she was back before me. I responded to a few emails before Sookie came down into the kitchen wearing a high wasted black skirt, white blouse and high black patent pumps. Her hair was tied in a loose bun at the back and if she'd had a riding crop I'd have happily bent over for her. She looked incredible.

"Ready?" she asked when she saw me staring at her.

"Sure."

I escorted her into the hallway where I pulled on my tie, suit jacket and shoes before heading off. She gave me the briefest of kisses on the cheek before she followed me out of the house and into downtown Shreveport. Since I'd assumed that she probably didn't want to arrive at the same time as me I didn't hesitate to drive my usual speed knowing that Sookie would not want to keep up, and when I arrived at the office it was quite a few minutes before she arrived.

The day itself was uneventful. I did call the police and explained the circumstances regarding Sookie, Quinn and I. Well, most of the circumstances, there were some things that did not need to be known. They told me that he was still on the run and they were looking for him. They told me not to worry, but that was not going to be possible until I knew he was either locked up or hundreds of miles away. I emailed Sookie with the information but she was still defiant in wanting to go home on the Thursday. I almost had to admire her decisiveness.

She called me around seven to let me know that she was going to stay at Amelia's for the evening and she would see me back at my house at around nine that night. I couldn't say that I wasn't disappointed. I'd fancied an evening with her in front of the TV as we had the previous night, but that was not looking like an option.

I left the office not long after and went home for a long swim. Swimming in the dark was one of my favourite things to do. I loved the slightly cooler night air and the way everything seemed so peaceful. I swam hard as my muscles began to burn and I was hopeful that the strenuous exercise would help me sleep. I had a feeling that Sookie would be sleeping in her own room that night as she was evidently in a defiant mood.

I'd showered and pulled on a pair of sleep pants by the time Sookie came back. I'd left the lights on outside for Sookie to navigate her way in and she found me lying on the sofa watching some old episodes of Family Guy. I looked up as Sookie walked into the room, her eyes widening slightly as she saw me.

"Hey," she said timidly as her eyes drank me in.

"Hey yourself. How are Amelia and Tray?" Sookie sank down onto the sofa where my feet had been as I moved to sit up.

"Amelia's pregnant. She's only just found out herself and I don't think it was planned, but they're both really happy."

"That's great news. They'll make great parents." I'd come to quite like Amelia and Tray over the months that Sookie had been back in town, and I'd ran into the at various times around Shreveport while Sookie and I were avoiding each other. Amelia had helped to fill in some of the blanks about how Sookie was at college and how she was with Bill. It made me regret even more the way I treated her. She should have been with me.

"They will do. It's a huge step though. They were concerned about whether they'd be able to be responsible for a dog. Now they're going to have a child."

"It's a lot to take on, but they'll get through it."

"What did you get up to tonight?" she asked after a period of silence.

"I left the office around half seven and came back for a swim. Other than that I've been just here."

"You eaten?"

I hadn't. In fact I hadn't eaten anything substantial since the omelette Sookie had made me that morning. The truth was that things with Sookie were starting to distract me. I didn't want to eat when she wasn't around. I knew it was stupid and I was hardly going to starve myself when Sookie went home, but I just found I didn't have an appetite.

"I'm not hungry."

"That's not what I asked?"

"I had something at the office." It wasn't a lie.

"When?"

I sighed. "Lunchtime. Really, I'm not hungry."

"Eric – "

"I'm fine. Anything you want to watch?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Not really."

We flicked channels before settling on HBO and watching something or other. I can't say I paid too much attention to it as my attention was completely on Sookie as she sat at the far end of the sofa. I tried to reorganise myself so she had the space to come to me, but other than briefly holding my hand she seemed more distant from me today. I hoped that she was not pushing me away from her, I hoped that I had not been too forceful. It must have been about ten thirty when I noticed Sookie starting to nod off and I picked her up in my arms and carried her into her room.

"Sorry, did I fall asleep?"

"Yeap, I guess you're tired. You know … you're welcome to stay with me again if you would prefer."

I searched her eyes, I wanted nothing more than for her to sleep again with me. I knew my bed would forever feel empty without her in it.

"It's okay, I'll be fine."

I stepped closer to her and pulled her into my arms. It wasn't the easy embrace of the night before and I wanted to know what I had done wrong. I kissed her softly on the forehead and stared into her eyes. "Are you okay, Sookie?" I wanted to ask her so much more but I feared she would run from me further.

"I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Okay, I'll let you get some sleep."

I went back downstairs to turn off the lights and headed into my own room. However I somehow knew that I was going to get even less sleep that night.

.

I was somewhat of a walking zombie the next day due to my severe lack of sleep. I was far too tired for my normal exercise routine and with Sookie being even more distant that morning I found I had very little enthusiasm for anything. I just couldn't understand what had changed. She had been so affectionate, but now we hardly seemed friends. The only glimmer of hope on the horizon was our meeting that evening with Niall.

I sat through some heavy meetings which I somehow managed to contribute to, but I did manage to grab a twenty minute power nap that afternoon which certainly helped. I'd arranged to meet Sookie at a quarter to five so we had plenty of time to get across town to Niall's office for our five-thirty meeting.

As soon as Sookie got in the car I could tell she had something to say. "I want to go home tonight."

"What? Why? But Quinn …"

"Eric, you're going to need to find a better excuse. I'm not saying I don't want us to work on this, on us. I just … I just need a little space. My own life."

"And how were you planning on getting to work?"

"I thought maybe you'd let me carry on borrowing your SUV. I mean, if that was okay."

"No." I said firmly.

"What?" She asked, hostility in her voice. "You're now not happy for me to borrow it? Gee thanks."

"No, you're not borrowing _my_ car because you have one of your own." She turned to look at me, not quite knowing what to say. "I bought you a silver version of that car. It was to be delivered first thing tomorrow morning for you. But I could get it delivered to Bon Temps if you'd prefer."

"I hadn't expected you to do that so soon."

"I'm a man of my word. Do you want me to do that? I can bring your belongings into the office if you wish me to drive you back to Bon Temps tonight."

"You'd do that?"

I sighed. "I'd do anything for you, love."

"Even that?"

We both smiled at her reference. "Even that."

The mood was a little lighter after that and we talked about work and speculated on how Amelia and Tray were going to cope as parents. We arrived in good time at Niall's office and I chatted briefly to Niall's wife before we were called in.

Once settled, Niall started the inquest into the previous week. We told about what had happened, how we'd met up on the Saturday night and made out, and then how following my session with him on Monday I'd been held at gunpoint by Quinn who may have then been heading in the direction of Sookie's house.

"Eric," Niall asked, "why were you so concerned of Sookie's safety?"

It was a stupid question. "Because there was a gun-wielding maniac heading in her direction! I had to get her out of there!"

"But why?"

"You mean apart from the fact that he may have raped her or killed her?" Niall gave me a pointed look. "I don't want any harm to come of Sookie. She means too much to me. I had never been more scared in my life then when I waited for Sookie. The thought that he might have got to her …" I didn't even want to finish that sentence.

"Sookie, how do you feel about what Eric has said."

She took a deep breath but didn't meet my stare. "I truly appreciate his kindness and all that he has done for me. I feel safe with him and I didn't want to leave his house."

"Then why do you now?" I asked her.

"Because you're too concerned about what people will think of you if they see you're with me." I tried to interrupt her to protest but Niall silenced me. "Because you're trying to hide me from the world. I'm a big girl, Eric. I can look after myself."

"Sookie, what makes you say that?" Niall asked for me.

"He didn't want me to go to work with him on Tuesday and today even offered to drop me elsewhere."

"I did that for you!" I yelled, ignoring Niall. "Sook, you're the one that has always seemed reluctant to let people know about us. I'd happily email the whole company and tell them how much I love you! How much I want you to me mine. I just thought you'd prefer it if people didn't know." My voice was quiet for the final sentence.

"Sookie?" Niall asked after we were both silent for a while.

I couldn't understand why she would feel that way. It made me realise quite how rocky things still were between us. Sure, there was a huge amount of lust, and it was obvious we did care for each other, but there were some huge insecurities on both our parts

"Do you even realise what you said?" She was addressing me but her voice was quiet. I wasn't quite sure what she meant. When I didn't answer she continued after looking to the doctor. "Eric, you said that you'd email everyone to let them know how much you loved me."

I honestly hadn't realised I'd said that. It wasn't exactly how I'd planned on telling Sookie that I loved her. I wanted to tell her at the right moment in a tender embrace, or while she snuggled with me in me bed before falling asleep in my arms.

"I do love you. Why else would I be so scared of Quinn? Why else would I shed tears when you turned up at the office on Monday? As you said, I know that you don't love me, at least not yet. But I'm working on that. I'm not going to let you down. I want to be here for you. I want to protect you, and if that means keeping you away from Quinn, then it's what I'll do."

"Eric, you can't shelter me forever. I understand what you're saying and I want this, I want you. I hate the thought of anyone else having you. I want us to continue as we are, to get better. But I need my own space."

"You still want to go home tonight?" I asked eventually.

"Yes please." I was resigned to that fact and pulled out my phone to send an email to get Sookie's car delivered to her home on Hummingbird Lane.

"Sookie, Eric, I can see the two of you still have a lot to work on and I feel that in future if when you spend time together you should be in a neutral location. I'd even suggest meeting more than once a week. It's obvious to me quite how much you care for each other, both from your sessions together and alone, but you seem very sensitive to each other's moods. I also think you should try and overcome the lust you feel for each other for now. By putting yourselves out of the home environment it should give you both a little more restraint, go out and have fun together, get to know each other properly."

Sookie and I both agreed to do as the doctor asked and we spent the rest of the session talking through how we viewed relationships in general and our past experiences. Niall was very careful to not bring up what we wanted for the future, but it was something he was talking to us both individually about and I assumed when we were at the same place he'd let us discuss that. I couldn't help but feel that Niall was a very clever and cunning man.

After we'd finished our session I gave Sookie a huge hug outside the office. "Sook, I'm sorry if you misunderstood me. I would never hide anything I have with you. Please don't keep things bottled up inside, talk to me."

"I'm sorry, too. I guess I always think back to that first meeting when you told your receptionist not to mention anything. I just assumed that you still didn't want anyone to know."

"I reacted harshly then. And please tell me if you feel I'm smothering you, I'm only concerned for you."

"I know. I just need some space on my own. I think things were moving a little fast. Not that I didn't need that orgasm, because I so did. But maybe staying at your house was just too much. Even if it did feel right me being there."

"It felt right having you there."

Neither one of us knew what to say so I simply opened the car door for her to get in. "I'm sorry this can't be easier for us."

I got into the driver's seat. "I never expected it to be."

I took her hand, kissed it and headed in the direction of Bon Temps, our conversation again flowing much lighter and we gently flirted with each other, the odd innuendo inserted here and there. The trip back to Sookie's home went far to quickly for my liking and before I knew it I was in her driveway, her security light lighting up the driveway.

"Do you want a drink?"

"That would be good, I'm feeling a little parched to be honest."

I followed Sookie inside the house where she led me to the kitchen. I looked fondly into her living room remembering the acts that had gone on between us, both ten years ago and much more recently. I'd given her two out of her three orgasms in that room.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked as she handed me a glass of orange.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Your orgasms." She rolled her eyes.

"Have to lower the tone don't you?"

"You asked! I am a man after all, and I can't help being incredibly turned on by you."

She swatted my arm but then laid her head gently on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my head into her hair.

"Well isn't this cute?" a man's voice interrupting our moment.

I looked up to see the huge frame of John Quinn standing in the entrance of the kitchen, his gun pointing at us. Sookie, whose head had been buried in my chest, had not moved when she heard his voice but I could feel her trembling in my arms. I wanted to carry on holding her, comforting her, but she was in the line of fire, so I pushed her behind me, her head now buried into my back.

"What are you doing here Quinn? How did you get in?" There had been no sign of forced entry.

"Not relevant Northman. What I see, however, is that you've been protecting little Sookie here. I didn't realise you were still fucking her. She's that good is she? I'll be sure to let the world know what I think when I get my turn with her."

"You will not go near her." I growled. I would kill him with my bare hands if I had to.

"Northman, you either hand her over or I will kill you and take her anyway. Your choice, now hands where I can see them."

I held up my hands in front of me and heard Sookie gasp behind me as she started to sob. I could feel her moving slightly as if she was looking around. Her breathing was panicked and as I felt her back up towards the counter, I moved in sync with her to keep her protected.

Quinn laughed. "There's not escape. I've been here two days waiting for your return, babe. Your boyfriend here is not going to help you. So you can either come with me and we'll let him live, or we can do it the hard way."

I was perfectly aware that Quinn was going to shoot me either way, and part of me hoped that Sookie would not have to witness that. I was desperately trying to think of a way out of this, but there was nothing to hand that I could use as a weapon and with my hands in the air I could hardly go for my phone.

There were so many things I wanted to tell Sookie that I hadn't, so many things that I wanted to do with her, to do to her. I had fucked things up by listening to the man in front of me and now he was hell bent on killing me and raping Sookie.

"Please don't hurt Eric." I heard from behind me. I could feel Sookie moving more, but I kept my body in front of her to hide her from Quinn.

"Babe, trust me. If you come like a good girl I won't hurt him." The look in his eye said otherwise.

"You will not hurt her, Quinn."

"Oh, I'm going to have great fun with her. You were far too soft with her. Northman, you were meant to force her. Did you not get that? Not your lovey dovey bullshit. You were to force yourself on her and take her virginity. I should have known you didn't have the balls for it." I felt sick.

All the while Sookie was struggling behind me and had sat up on the counter. Quinn seemed to be enjoying the game he was playing. He knew he would kill me eventually and get to Sookie, at that moment he was enjoying the chase.

"Eric didn't force me because he loves me," was Sookie's response from behind me.

"He loves you? How cute. It's not going to do you the power of good now. You have five seconds to come out from behind him or I will shoot him in the head and you will find yourself covered in your lover's innards. Your choice. Five …"

"Sookie, I love you."

"I have to do this, Eric." She was pushing at me slightly, but I could feel something in her hand.

"… four …"

Sookie stepped out partially from behind me, the water heater behind her and the metal still in her right hand which was obscured from Quinn's vision. He was leering at her and actually licked his lips.

"Good girl. Now come to me." He was starting to rub himself with his spare hand. I heard Sookie swallow.

"Quinn, I would rather die than go anywhere with you."

Everything happened at once.

Quinn's face was that of rage at Sookie's words and he cocked his gun before firing. At the same time Sookie pulled the metal out from behind me and fired at Quinn with the gun she had pulled from somewhere. I yelled out to Sookie as I watched Quinn collapse to the floor.

Had she been hit? I staggered back slightly before I leaned on the counter, intent on making sure she was okay.

I looked to her eyes and saw the tears streaming down her face and only then did I begin to feel the searing pain in my left upper chest. I looked down and saw my blood soaked shirt, my hand instinctively going to the bullet hole.

"Eric!" She yelled. Her own phone was in her bag which she had left somewhere else in the house so she pulled mine out of my pocket. I weakly gave her my code as my legs started to give way beneath me.

She was sobbing on the phone to the emergency services and listened to their instructions as she helped me onto the kitchen floor where she grabbed a hand towel and held it to the bullet wound.

"Eric please … stay with me … don't you give up on me." I had no intention on giving up, but I was losing my battle with consciousness as the pain began to take over. "ERIC! … stay with me, focus on my voice." I wanted to, more than anything. She was sobbing loudly, her tears falling fast. "Please. Eric, I …"

Blackness hit me like a freight train.

* * *

_Sorry to leave it there!_

_*evil grin*_


	25. Chapter 25

_A nod to E-F-M with the suggestion of what to do with Quinn._

_Thanks for your reviews and words of encouragement.

* * *

_

**Sookie**

"Please. Eric, I need you. I love you." I picked up his hand and placed a kiss on the back. I wiped away the tears from my eyes to see that Eric's eyes had fluttered shut and he hadn't heard me.

"No!" My voice was unrecognisable. "Please don't leave me!"

I didn't know what to do. I pressed the towel I'd grabbed hard onto his wound and moved my head to his chest to make sure he was breathing. My whole body was trembling, I had never been so scared in my life, but there was a faint heartbeat and his chest was moving, albeit shallowly. It was wrong having his strong but lifeless body beneath me. I would have given anything to have swapped our positions. I would have taken that bullet for him.

As I waited to the paramedics I prayed to every god I'd ever heard of to make sure that Eric pulled through this. I didn't know what I'd do if Eric died. And he would have died because of me. If I hadn't insisted on coming back we would never have seen Quinn. I could have stayed with Eric forever. And now? Now I could lose him. Would he even want me if he did recover considering that I'd nearly killed him?

He'd told me he loved me just before Quinn shot him and even then I couldn't say it back. If he died he'd never of known how much I loved him.

In fact, I'd told him that I didn't love him. Was I completely stupid? I deserved to rot in hell for the way I treated Eric. Life would not be worth living. I was sure Gran still had some old sleeping pills …

"Miss, are you in there?" My black thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of help.

"In here!" I yelled. I noticed them make a detour to Quinn's body which was on the other side of the kitchen. "No! Please, help Eric. That man tried to kill us both, let him rot. Help Eric, please don't let him die!"

"Miss, I'll need you to step back."

I reluctantly moved away from Eric while two of the paramedics tended to his wounds and a third female paramedic checked me over, and was seemingly satisfied that I had no fixable surface wounds. I wasn't sure that they could do anything for a broken heart or the pain I felt. After working on him for a few minutes the woman went to get a gurney which they strapped him to and transported him to the waiting ambulance. I noticed more men had entered my kitchen to deal with Quinn, but I didn't care what came of him.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Shreveport. He needs specialist care. Are you a friend?"

"I'm his girlfriend." I regretted that Eric never got to hear me say that. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure." The female paramedic smiled at me and helped me in the ambulance next to Eric.

"Will he live?" My voice was shaking as tears continued to fall from my eyes.

"He's stable at the moment but he'll need surgery. I can't tell you any more than that."

I was silent for the rest of the journey and focused on holding Eric's hand and sending him all the love and strength I could as if we had some mystical bond between us. I needed him to pull through this. Without him I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to survive. When we got to the hospital he was quickly wheeled out of the ambulance and surrounded by doctors as they moved him into the ER. I tried to follow, but I was stopped by a nurse.

"Are you the next of kin? I'll need some paperwork filled out."

"I'm his girlfriend. He has a sister, she's his closest family."

"Then we'll need her to sign any consent forms. Can you call her?"

I didn't want to have to face Pam, but I didn't have a choice. "Sure."

I pulled Eric's phone out of my pocket and found Pam's number. I found a quiet corner of the waiting room I'd been ushered into and called her.

"Eric, what do you want?" She already sounded annoyed.

"Pam, it's Sookie. There …"

"Where is Eric? What have you done to him?"

"I'm at Shreveport hospital. We …"

"What have you done, you bitch!"

"He was shot by Quinn!" I knew it was a losing battle.

"You'd better hope he's okay or I swear I will kill you myself, Sookie Stackhouse." She hung up on me and I could only wait her arrival, my whole body shaking as I thought of the events of the evening.

I didn't have to wait long for Pam to arrive.

"Where the fuck is he? What did you do?" I heard Pam before I saw her. She stormed into the room and came straight up to me and punched me hard in the face, once, twice and as I waited for a third time she was stopped by a tall dark-haired man behind her who seemed to be able to calm her slightly.

I welcomed the pain that came from her hitting me and I brought my hand to my tender flesh.

Pam scowled at me before walking up to the nurse and demanding to be told about Eric. The nurse was obviously more forthcoming with Pam then she was with me and she led Pam and what I assumed to be her fiancé away from me. I felt the gaping big hole inside of me at not knowing how Eric was and it was beginning to consume me and I sank down onto the uncomfortable seats of the waiting room.

When the nurse came back I approached her. "Please can you just tell me if he's okay?"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Miss. But Miss Ravenscroft has specifically given instruction that you are not to see Mr Northman or be given any information about him. She is his listed next of kin, and we have to listen to what she has asked. I do know that the police are wanting to speak to you."

My tears were flowing steadily again and I numbly let the nurse lead me to where the police were. "Miss Stackhouse?" the tall police officer asked and I nodded. "I'm going to need you to come down to the station so we can ask you a few questions about what happened." I simply nodded again and let them lead me to the marked police car that was sat outside the hospital.

There were a few photographers outside the hospital having obviously heard about Eric being shot and I was ushered into the back of the car as the photographers were taking photos and hurling ridiculous questions at me. I wasn't quite sure which way was up let alone be able to answer their questions.

The journey to the station didn't take long at all and I was led to an interview room which was painted a cold grey and had a metal desk in the centre of the room and an uncomfortable chair. I sat down heavily and buried my head in my hands, my thoughts filled with images of seeing Eric crumple in front of me from his chest wound.

After an unknown period of time a man entered the room and introduced himself as Detective Flood. I tried to smile but I was sure it came out more like a grimace.

"Miss Stackhouse, can you tell me what happened?"

After somehow managing to control my breathing I told him about Eric calling me on the Monday to tell me that Quinn had held him at gunpoint and stolen his car and that he'd suggested to Eric that he may come in my direction. I then told him how we'd walked into my house and Quinn had backed us into a corner as he threatened to rape me and kill Eric. I told him how I managed to pull my shotgun from behind the water heated in the kitchen and shoot Quinn at the same time as he shot Eric.

"Is Quinn dead?"

"No. He lost a lot of blood as you shot him in the groin, but he's still alive." I almost smiled at that thought.

"Am I going to be charged?" I had no idea how this worked.

"We'll need to talk to both Mr Northman and Mr Quinn, assuming they both pull through." That set my off with another round of tears. What would I do if Eric didn't pull through. I almost hoped that Pam would take up her offer.

"But will I be charged?" It hadn't escaped my attention that the detective did not answer my question.

"I can't answer that, but from you've told me it sounds like self defence. We may need to speak to you further so I suggest you don't leave the state." I certainly wasn't planning on going anywhere with Eric still unconscious in hospital. "That's all for now, Miss Stackhouse, we have your details s we'll be in touch if we need to ask you any further questions."

He left me alone in the room before another officer came and escorted me back to the main entrance of the station. It was only then that I realised that I didn't have any money, car or means of getting back to the hospital. The one thing I knew was that there was no way I was going back to Bon Temps.

I was grateful at least that I still had Eric's phone and even more grateful that he had Amelia's number stored in it. I tried her number, but with no avail as after thirteen rings it went to voicemail. I didn't leave a message.

I sank down onto a bench outside the police station and stared down at Eric's phone in my hand. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself but looking through his pictures in the hope that he had one of himself. I needed to see his face and if a photograph was all I was going to get I would happily accept that.

I found some photos of buildings and parks, ducks and some birds I didn't recognise. There were pictures of places he'd been – New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, all the famous monuments on his phone. I finally found one of him that he'd taken himself as he stood by Buckingham Palace from his trip to England. He looked beautiful and handsome – he always did – but even in that picture I could see that he didn't have the sparkle in his eyes that I had come to know recently.

Seeing that picture made me realise how much Eric had cared for me right from the start. He had no need to, I was just some girl he slept with ten years ago who stubbornly wouldn't accept his apology. But my harsh words had hurt him, and I had continually pushed him away from me. I was denying my own want of him. My heart was telling me I loved him but my head was remembering the hurt he caused me. I had to forgive him. I had to try and forget what happened, move on, put it behind me.

I flicked through a few more pictures until I was surprised by seeing one of me. It had obviously been taken the night he came to my house and I cooked for him, but I hadn't noticed him taking it. The picture showed me looking up at Eric, gazing almost. I had a smile on my face and I didn't remember ever seeing myself look so happy. That was what Eric did, he made me happy. A solitary tear ran down my face.

And now? Now I was stranded at Shreveport police station with no way of getting home.

I saw that it was after nine in the evening and I scrolled through Eric's contacts list to find Isabel's number. She was about the only other person I could think who would help me.

"Hi, Eric!" She answered the phone after a few rings.

"Isabel, it's Sookie. Eric is …" I couldn't say any more and I leaned forward putting my head between my knees to try and quell my nausea.

"Sookie, are you okay? What's happened to Eric?" I could hear the concern in her voice for her friend.

"He was shot," I muttered between sobs, "it's my fault, he was protecting me."

"Sook, what hospital are you at? Have you called Pam?"

"Pam won't let me near him. I'm at the police station, I had to give a statement to the police about what happened."

"Stay where you are, I'll be there in ten minutes."

I sat on the bench outside suddenly realising how cold I was. I was still only wearing my long sleeved dress and I was cold down to my bones. I sat in an almost catatonic state thinking about Eric until Isabel arrived and jumped out of her car. She ran up to the bench and pulled me into her arms.

"Are you okay, what happened?"

"Eric drove me home after our session. Quinn was waiting for me in my house, he had a gun. Eric tried to protect me, he stood in front of me while Quinn pointed his gun at us. He was shot because of me." I started sobbing into her shoulder.

"And Quinn?" Isabel asked as I pulled away from her slightly.

"I shot him. My Gran kept a gun behind the water heater in the kitchen and I managed to get it. I shot him in the groin, but he's alive."

"Good shooting. I hope that you've blown his dick off. He's an asshole."

I couldn't resist the slight smile. "You knew him?"

"I never liked him and always warned Eric about him. I knew your brother as well, he was a good man but was easily corrupted by Quinn. I never thought Eric would get himself tangled in Quinn's schemes."

I swallowed as a tear fell down my cheek as I thought back to what she was referring to. Isabel looked deep in thought and I slipped into my own memories of Eric.

After a while I noticed Isabel looking at my face strangely. "What happened to you? Did Quinn hit you?" she'd turned my head slightly so the light shone on my bruising cheek.

"No, he didn't get chance, I shot him as soon as he shot …" I couldn't say it. My chest was getting tighter and tighter. I needed to see Eric.

"Sookie, who hit you?" Her voice was soft and eyes were earnest.

I didn't want to answer that. "It doesn't matter. Can you drive me to the hospital?"

"I'm serious, tell me." Her voice was a little firmer, but I didn't respond. I turned to look away from her, not able to meet her in the eye. "It wasn't Eric, was it?"

"No!" I yelled, my eyes meeting hers again. "He would never do that." I couldn't believe that she'd even asked.

"Pam?" No doubt my expression gave me away.

"It really doesn't matter. Please, I just want to see Eric, or at least be near him. I need to know that he's okay." A sob escaped my lips.

"Pam hit you?" She was still pressing for an answer and I have a brief nod. "I'm going to have some serious words with her."

"Isabel, please don't. I don't want to cause further trouble. She's upset about Eric, and I had to be the one to tell her. And she's right anyway, it is my fault. I should have just gone with Quinn instead of hiding like a coward behind Eric." I angrily wiped my tears away.

"Sookie, do not blame yourself for this, and don't be so ridiculous. Eric would never have let anything happen to you. It was Quinn that shot him and it sounds like you saved Eric's life by shooting Quinn. I don't doubt that that psycho would have killed you both given the chance. You were very brave, I'm not sure that I could have done what you did. Now come on, I'll have words with Pam for you and we'll find out how he is."

We drove in Isabel's Mercedes to the hospital in silence, neither one of us seemingly knowing what to say. I had never been more scared. I feared what the doctors would say. I feared being told that he didn't make it, that his surgery was unsuccessful or that he was in a coma and not likely to wake. Once we were parked we walked solemnly back into the hospital and towards the waiting room where I had been previously.

Isabel left me alone while she went to see Pam and hopefully come back with at least some information for me. I didn't particularly think that Isabel would be able to convince Pam to let me see him, but I hoped for news at least. I picked up an old magazine and flicked through the pages, but I could not have told you what was on them. I was just trying to distract myself from thinking the worst. From imagining that Isabel was going to walk back into the room and tell me that Eric had died.

The large white clock on the wall seemed to be going at a quarter of the pace I'd normally expect it to. I was certain I saw the second hand hold stop on occasion. I was vaguely aware of other people entering into the room, but I took no notice. I wasn't interested in other people.

It was after exactly thirty-seven minutes that Isabel re-entered the room and blocked my line of vision with the clock on the wall. I looked up at her and saw no hint of a smile. Her face was as solemn as mine. I feared the worst.

I found that my mouth was dry and when I tried to speak nothing more than a squeak came out. Isabel answered anyway. "He's alive, she told me that much."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I could accept that as a small miracle for now. "Pam …"

"She won't tell me anything. She asked how I knew he was here and I had to admit that you called me. She knows I'll tell you anything so she won't tell me. We had a huge argument over her hitting you, and it nearly came to blows. I get that she's stressed, but she's being a huge bitch even by her standards."

It crossed my mind to ask Isabel about how her and Pam had got on previously, but I couldn't quite find the motivation to ask.

"I tried to talk to one of the doctors I know that works here, but even he couldn't tell me anything. It seems Pam has threatened the staff that they'll personally be sued if any information about his condition gets out. Eric gives this hospital a lot of money so people are scared to piss Pam off. I'm sorry, Sookie."

I closed my eyes as my tears slid down my face. "Thank you for trying." I spoke weakly, my voice just a whisper. I resumed staring at the clock on the wall.

"Sookie, why don't you come back with me to my house."

"I'm not leaving." I said defiantly.

She looked sympathetically at me. "They're not going to tell you anything, and where Pam might be given a bed, you'll be stuck in here. A shower and a comfortable place to get some sleep will do you good."

"I'm not leaving." I repeated. I shut my eyes briefly and turned to face her. "I can't leave. Pam may not be willing to let me see him or even know anything about his condition, but I cannot leave him here. I will not."

"I wish you would, Sook. Eric wouldn't want you to be in pain like this, and he's going to be mad as hell at Pam when he wakes up."

"If he wakes up." I corrected, glumly.

"You need to think positively. If you assume the worst it will eat you up. I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and I do not want you to go through the same. I stayed by Godric's side the whole time he was in hospital, but I was always hopeful that he would recover. Even at the very end. You have to have hope. Believe in him."

I felt traumatised that I had not considered Isabel's past when I called her to bring me here. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think. I'm a horrible person."

"No you're not. Eric is one of my closest friends and I would want to be here anyway. But he will kick my butt if he finds out that I let you stay here alone. Please, just come back with me for a few hours. I promise to bring you back first thing in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Isabel, I can't leave. I have to be here. Thank you so much for being a friend, thank you for helping me in the way you have. I don't know what I would have done without you."

She sighed. "I can see that I'm not going to change your mind. I'm coming back first thing tomorrow, is there anything I can do for you? Anyone I can call?"

"No, thank you. I'll call Amelia tomorrow, I don't want her worrying about me. I'll be fine here."

"Call me if you hear anything, okay? Whatever time, I don't care."

"Sure." I muttered, trying to contain my tears.

Isabel leaned down and kissed me on the head before leaving. I was praying that I didn't have to call her back with bad news. The clock on the wall said that it was only eleven-fifteen. I had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

As I was the only one in the room I was at least able to dim the lights in the room, but there was no where hugely comfortable to sit, and I certainly had no chance of laying down since all of the chairs had wooden arms which meant that I couldn't push them together.

At around three in the morning a nurse came in with a pillow and a blanket for me. I hadn't noticed how cold I had gotten until she spread the thick blanket over me.

While she placed the pillow behind my head she leaned in close to me. "He's out of surgery but it's too early to know whether he'll pull through. He lost a lot of blood from his injury and had extensive internal bleeding. But I didn't tell you that." I nodded, not that I could see her face anyway, but I was eternally grateful for the news. "Try and get some sleep. I'll be back to check on you in the morning."

I curled up in the blanket I'd been given and eventually did manage to get some sleep, but my dreams were plagued with images of Eric being shot, of a funeral, of me being arrested for John Quinn's murder, of Pam killing me. I woke many times during the night and probably got no more than an hour's sleep in total, but I did feel slightly better for it.

At about six a.m. I had to tend to my bathroom needs and walked into the too brightly lit corridor and headed in the direction of the bathroom. I looked like death warmed up. The reflection in the mirror didn't even look like me. I splashed some cold water on my face and wiped away the small amount of black under my eyes that was left over from my mascara.

I was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Sookie, it's Isabel. Can I come in? I have some spare clothes for you."

I opened the door to let Isabel in, locking it behind her. She had a large bag with her and handed it to me.

"In there you'll find a complete change of clothes, hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrush and a few other bits you may need."

"Thank you so much. You didn't have to do this for me."

"Sure I did. Eric was great to me when Godric was sick and I'm returning the favour. I'll meet you back in the waiting room." She smiled at me and walked out.

I rummaged through the bag and brushed my teeth before having a strip wash and applying some deodorant. Isabel really had thought of everything and I was hugely grateful. I brushed the knots and tangles out of my hair and put it back in a loose ponytail before pulling on the clean underwear, jeans and t-shirt that had been provided. The jeans were a little long since Isabel was taller than me, but it was nothing that couldn't be rectified by rolling them up. I finally slipped on the black ballet shoes and I felt more human than I had. I just wished I had some news of Eric.

When I got back into the waiting room I was hit by the welcome smell of coffee. "I wasn't sure how you liked it, but there's milk and sugar if you want it." I added the milk and sugar even though I didn't normally take sugar. I just needed the extra sweetness. After a few swigs of the hot beverage I began to feel a lot better.

"Thank you, Isabel, I don't think I'd be in one piece if it wasn't for you."

"That's okay. I know what it's like. I know that you forget to look after yourself. Have you eaten?"

I hadn't eaten a thing since Friday lunchtime, but I was certain that I would throw up instantly if I ate a thing. "I'm not hungry."

"I know you're not, but you need to eat something. You need to keep your strength up. You're no good to Eric if you're unwell yourself."

She handed me a Starbucks bag with a cinnamon bun and croissant inside. It wasn't my usual breakfast, but it was probably just what I needed. I slowly picked at the pastries while we waited. Isabel did her best at distracting me and she even told me the story of how Eric lost his virginity to her.

Both Isabel and I had again tried to find out information on Eric's condition, but no one was willing to give us any information.

I was starting to go out of my mind again. I was assuming the worst. It didn't seem good news that I hadn't been told anything, but then would Pam even tell me anything? Would I have to wait and find out with everyone else if Pam made a press release?

I felt sick.

I had to run out of the room and to the nearest bathroom where I threw up the pastries I'd had for breakfast. As I hadn't managed to lock or even close the door Isabel came in after me and rubbed my back while I threw up. After I had nothing left to give I could do no more than curl up in a ball on the floor of the bathroom and sob.

"Sookie, come on. Let's go back to the waiting room."

She was rubbing my back, but I couldn't move. My limbs wouldn't respond to any order that my brain gave them. As Isabel was unable to lift me herself she called out to a few nurses who came to help me up. Rather than taking me back to the waiting room I was laid down on one of the beds in a private room. I curled up and buried my head into the pillow.

I was vaguely aware of other people around me besides Isabel but I could take no notice of them. My only thoughts were of Eric. I felt as if his very life force was somehow connected to my own, that if he were to die, so would I.

"Sookie, are you okay? Talk to me hun."

I was able to focus enough to see the faces of Amelia and Tray crouched down besides the bed, but I was unable to respond. I couldn't. I remember an unfamiliar face coming to stand in front of me and someone trying to explain something to me, but I don't remember what was being said. I felt a prick at my arm as the person spoke to me, and I drifted away into a dreamless sleep.

.

I opened my eyes and stretched out in the bed. I saw the face of Isabel smile at me as I woke and the sudden realisation of where I was hit me with full force and I let out a strangled sob.

"Sookie, it's okay, he's awake. He's asking for you."

I couldn't quite comprehend her words. Did she say that he was awake and asking for me? I wiped away the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand.

"What?" It didn't sound like my own voice.

"He woke up a couple of hours ago."

"How long have I been out?" I felt panicked again, had I missed time with Eric?

"He's okay, stop panicking." She somehow seemed to know what I was thinking. "You were asleep for six hours. You needed it, your mind was going into shut down, you needed to rest. And anyway it's probably a good job you didn't witness the argument between Eric and Pam. It wasn't pretty."

Great, now Pam really would kill me.

"Come on, get up. You don't want to keep him waiting any longer than you have to."

I somehow found the energy to almost jump out of bed and I let Isabel take my hand and guide me into the private wing of the hospital where Eric was obviously staying. I caught a glimpse of my hair in the glass door and set about smoothing it out. Isabel laughed at me and rolled her eyes.

When we reached a door she stopped and turned to me. "Go on in, he's expecting you."

I smiled at her in thanks and slowly placed my hand on the door handle and opened the door to get my first glimpse of Eric. He was propped up slightly in bed and was not wearing a shirt though his left shoulder was heavily bandaged with more bandages going around his chest. My eyes filled with tears again as my eyes met his and I rushed to his side, but stopping short at touching him for fear of hurting him further.

"Eric –"

"Sookie –"

We both spoke at the same time. "Go on, Eric, please." I took his hand in mine and kissed it softly.

"Thank you, Sookie. Thank you for waiting. Thank you for saving my life." I tried to protest but he placed a finger over my lips. "You did save my life. I don't doubt that he would have shot again, and he wouldn't have missed my heart the second time." I shuddered at the thought.

"I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm not going anywhere. Although we might need a little bit more therapy!" He chuckled slightly which turned to a grimace as his chest hurt. He obviously saw my expression change. "I'm okay, I promise." I held my lips to his hand and rested my head momentarily on his bed.

"Eric?"

He looked me deep in the eyes. "Mmm hmm?"

"I love you."

* * *

_So she finally told him. And sorry, should I have warned to have a Kleenex handy?_

_I'd love to know what you think.  
_


	26. Chapter 26

**Eric**

I woke to searing pain. My left shoulder was fucking killing me and radiating all the way down my left arm and left side. I opened my eyes slightly to be blinded by the bright white of the hospital lights.

"Eric?"

I tuned slightly towards the voice. It didn't sound like Sookie's.

"Thank god you're awake. Are you okay?"

"I'm in fucking pain." I growled.

"I'll call the doctor." I heard Pam get up and leave the room, only to return to few moments later. I opened my eyes fully when the doctor arrived.

"You've given us quite a scare Mr Northman. I'll give you something for the pain and the we'll run a few tests. Can you remember what happened?"

"Yes, I was shot by John fucking Quinn. Is he dead?"

"No, he's alive." _Fucking shame_. "I can't tell you any more than that. I'll be back later when we have the test results." He adjusted something on a piece of machinery and then left me to my thoughts and went to annoy other patients.

I felt disappointed that Sookie hadn't killed him, but then instantly panicked. Where was Sookie?

"Sookie?" I asked into the room, maybe she was there but hadn't made herself known. I attempted to lift my head slightly and saw that she was not there.

"Eric, I've been so worried about you. I don't know what I'd do without you." The look on Pam's face was a genuine one of concern and pain. It was unlike her to be so emotional.

"I'm fine, little sister." I said to her in Swedish. "I love you."

"I love you too, big brother." she replied in the same language and leaned down to kiss me on the head and held my right hand.

"Pam, where is Sookie? Is she okay?" I was suddenly panicked that maybe Quinn's injuries weren't as bad as the looked. What if he had shot her? What if Sookie had been killed? Was that why Pam was being nice to me? "PAM!" I shouted at her when she failed to respond.

"Eric, you need to give this up, okay?"

"Just fucking tell me that she alive." My heart was beating at a thousand beats a minute and I wouldn't have been surprised if the doctor had come back in.

"She's alive. But thanks to her, you got shot. Eric, I'm not going to let you get hurt more by her. She's already screwing with your mind and now you've got a bullet hole in your chest. Enough is enough. Pay her off, make her leave, whatever. Just don't see her anymore. She's not worth it."

I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing Pam say and I was quite simply too stunned to stop her earlier. I gritted my teeth and balled up my fist after I'd dropped her hand.

"Pamela." I almost hissed. "I will not 'make her leave'. I love her. I took a bullet for her. Now tell me where the fuck she is."

Pam could no doubt see the serious look on my face and stopped arguing with me. "I don't know where she is. She was in the hospital last night, but I don't know now." Pam's voice was quieter than normal.

"What do you mean you don't know? Has she not been in here?" I couldn't help imagining Sookie sat by my side while I was unconscious. I wanted Sookie to have been by my side.

"No, she hasn't."

"And why not?" I hissed.

"Because she is the one that put you here in the first place. Because she doesn't deserve you."

I was about to launch into a tirade of abuse at my sister but we were interrupted by a nurse coming in to check on me and take some readings of the various pieces of equipment in the room. Before she left I attracted her attention.

"Hi, could you please find out if Sookie Stackhouse is here and ask her to come by?" I didn't miss the fact that her eyes went ever so briefly to Pam before stopping on mine again.

"Certainly, Mr Northman."

As soon as she'd left the room I turned back to Pam. "You kept her away from me?" I growled.

"Yes. I am your next of kin, it was my decision to make."

"You made the wrong decision."

Nothing else was said between us as I waited for Sookie's arrival and Pam sat quietly with Russell. I was fuming, but seeing Sookie was more important. It was an age before there was a quiet knock on the door, and I could feel the smile forming on my lips as I called for her to enter. But it wasn't Sookie that entered. It was the taller, darker Isabel that came in. She smiled at me before her eyes shot to Pam. It was not a friendly look, and although I knew the two of them had never been best of friends, it was obvious there was more to it this time.

"Where is she?"

"You're okay?" Isabel asked without answering my question.

"I'm fine, just tell me where she is. Is she okay?"

"She's asleep at the moment. The doctor had to give her a sedative to calm her down. She hardly slept last night and she refused to leave the hospital. She was a complete wreck and needs some time to heal."

Oh god. I dreaded to think what Sookie must have gone through, particularly if Pam wouldn't let her anywhere near me. "But she'll be okay?"

"She will be fine. I think it just got a little bit too much for her. I'll make sure she comes by as soon as she wakes, but the doctor said she needed to rest so we shouldn't wake her earlier."

"She stayed here?"

"She slept in one of the waiting rooms. I tried to get her to come home with me, but she wouldn't leave even though she knew nothing of your condition." Isabel gave another pointed look in the direction of Pam. "I brought her a change of clothes and some toiletries this morning and tried to get her to eat something, but she ended up throwing that back up. It was after than when she was curled up on the bathroom floor that we had to take some action."

"What did you do?"

"She was catatonic. They called a psychiatrist who said that she'd gone into shock but needed to sleep, so they gave her the sedative. I'll make sure that I'm there when she wakes. Amelia and Tray are with her at the moment."

"Thank you for looking out for her, Is. It doesn't sound like she'd have been okay on her own." I turned in the direction of Pam. "Want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Eric, I've told you. I don't like her and I don't think that she's good enough for you."

"Pam, I don't know what the fuck your problem is with Sookie, why you are still holding onto this grudge of yours from childhood, but I love her and I have no intention of letting her go."

"Don't be ridiculous, Eric. She's only going to hurt you. I am trying to look for you. She doesn't love you, she never will. She will always hold what happened against you."

"If she didn't love him she wouldn't be here." Isabel calmly noted. "And she certainly wouldn't have stayed after the way you treated her."

I watched as Pam scowled at Isabel. "Pam?" I questioned.

"Bitch." Pam hissed at Isabel.

"What?" I asked the room. "What the fuck is going on? What happened? Isabel?"

"Want to tell him or shall I?" Isabel's tone was acidic.

Pam scowled at her but turned to look at me. Her eyes were apologetic, which had me worried. "When she called me on your phone I knew to expect the worst. She told me where you were and Russell and I came straight here since we were in the car already."

Pam paused and looked a little nervous. It was very unlike her. "And?" I pushed.

"I was really angry by the time I got here. I knew if you'd been shot by Quinn it must have been something to do with her." She was still stalling and I raised an eyebrow at her. "I hit her."

I didn't know how to respond. The tension in the room was palpable as I stared at my sister. She had hit Sookie? How dare she do that to the woman I loved? How dare she do that to anyone? I was beyond pissed at her and I wasn't sure that I would ever speak to her again. What if Sookie refused to see me because of what Pam had done?

"Get out." I said simply.

"Eric, I'm sorry, okay? I know it was the wrong thing to do but I was so angry at her for putting you in that position. She should have gone home by herself and not dragged you into it."

She had better be kidding me. "WHAT? You'd rather that she had gone alone where John Quinn was waiting for her so he could have raped her, beaten her and probably killed her? You'd prefer that?

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what, tell me?"

"I … I didn't want for you to get hurt in this."

"And you think that if Sookie had been killed I wouldn't have been hurt? Fuck Pam, grow a heart you cold fucking bitch. I repeat what I said earlier, get out. I don't want to see you right now."

"I was going to Mississippi anyway with Russell."

"Fine."

Russell looked apologetically at me as he escorted Pam out of the room and I finally gave into my frustrations knocking my head against the metal bed frame.

"Calm down, Eric." Isabel said while taking my hand. "She's fine and has been surprisingly defensive of Pam's actions."

"God knows why." I stated.

"She's obviously a better person that you and I. She's stubborn, that one. Reminds me of someone."

"I don't know what I'd have done if anything came of her. I need her. I'm tired of all this drama. I want it to be her and me."

"Life has a way of throwing you together. I think you're meant for each other."

"I know so." I smiled.

"Get some rest. I'll bring her to you as soon as she wakes."

"Thank you."

I didn't think that I would be able to sleep considering how pent up I felt about seeing her, but I think the painkillers must have done there job as I was able to sleep for a while. When I woke a laid and thought about all the things I wanted to talk to Sookie about, places to take her, things I wanted to do with her. Things I wanted to do to her. I was still determined not to push Sookie when it came to sex, but I couldn't help fantasising about having her in my bed again with me. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Isabel's voice on the other side of my door. I knew that this meant Sookie was with her, and I could hardly contain my excitement.

"Go on in, he's expecting you."

The door tentatively opened and Sookie's eyes instantly on me. I watched as her eyes surveyed my bandages and appeared to tear up. I wanted to tell her all was okay but the lump in my throat was preventing me from speaking. As our eyes met and she rushed towards me, but stopped before touching me, almost as if she didn't want to break me.

"Eric –"

"Sookie –"

We had both gone to speak at the same time. "Go on, Eric, please." She took my hand in hers and kissed it. I was normally the chivalrous type and believed in ladies first, but I had something I needed to say to her.

"Thank you, Sookie. Thank you for waiting. Thank you for saving my life." I could see that she was about to protest so I placed a finger over her soft lips. "You did save my life. I don't doubt that he would have shot again, and he wouldn't have missed my heart the second time." I watched as she flinched at the thought.

She looked straight into my eyes. "I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm not going anywhere. Although we might need a little bit more therapy!" I tried to laugh at my own joke but realised that laughing was painful. Sookie's expression instantly changed to one of concern. "I'm okay, I promise." She appeared to relax a bit and brought her lips back down to my hand as she momentarily rested her head on the bed.

"Eric?" She asked as her eyes met mine again.

"Mmm hmm?" I felt lost within her stare. I could have stayed there forever.

"I love you."

I was a little stunned at first to hear her say it, but I soon broke into a huge smile. "If I knew it took being shot to hear those words from you I would have done it earlier."

She slapped my arm and I mockingly pretended to be hurt. "I mean it. And I know that I should have said it earlier, but I think this has made me realise that I can't do this without you. The thought that Quinn had …" She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she meant. "I don't think I could have survived without you."

"As I couldn't without you. I love you too, Sookie."

She moved closer to me and I felt her hot breath on me before she moved closer to place a soft kiss on my lips. I wanted more, but I was aware that my breath probably smelt like I'd been licking a dog's ass. I kissed her softly in return, but it was Sookie that deepened out kiss, putting her hand in my hair and pulling my lips to her. I submitted gladly. I felt her tongue sweep along my lower lip and I nipped mine out to meet hers.

We kissed for a few minutes, swapping between gently teasing each other and kissing each other more deeply. I moved my hand to her right cheek to pull her to me, but she winced slightly into my mouth. Remembering that Pam had hit her I pulled back from her and softly turned her head so that I could assess the damage to her cheek. I wasn't quite sure how I hadn't seen the bruise on her cheek, but it was slowly starting to become various shades of purple and green and was obviously tender.

"I'm sorry about Pam." I was truly ashamed that my sister could behave in such a way.

"It's okay. I understand that she was stressed and I'm hardly her favourite person anyway."

"You don't have to defend her. I could have killed her earlier. I think we need to spend a little time away from each other."

"The man she was with was her fiancé?"

"Yes, she's gone back with him to Mississippi. It's only a good thing. I'm not sure I could be responsible for what I might say or do to her."

"She'd have helped you recover though …"

"Maybe, but I was hopeful that someone else might be willing to play nursemaid." I wouldn't be beyond begging.

"Isabel? You should ask her." She was smiling.

"That wasn't who I was talking about." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sure I can help you. And anyway, I'm probably going to be out of a job anyway considering I was AWOL today. I seem to remember from my contract that it was a sackable offence."

"Maybe, but I think you must have missed the caveat that stated if you saved the life of CEO you can not only keep your job but get a healthy bonus."

"Really, a bonus?" She raised an eyebrow at me. "I definitely don't remember seeing that one."

"It's there with the clause that states you'll have to stay with me until I'm back on my feet." I wanted nothing more than to have Sookie stay at my house and although there was humour in our conversation my intention behind it was real.

She pulled back a little from me, her face suddenly serious. I had a bad feeling the stubborn Sookie was back and would accuse me of being high-handed. "I'm not sure I can go home anyway," she said in a small voice and catching me by surprise. "I'm forever going to see you lying on the floor or my kitchen. The blood …" A tear trickled down her face.

"You don't have to. Stay with me. It's closer for work, and I'm likely to need some help when I first get back. I'd love to see you in a nurses outfit."

"Don't get any ideas, Mister. I don't think you're going to be up for that!"

"Up for what?" I said as innocently as I could manage. "I was simply saying I would need to be nursed a bit. You know, help with washing, that kind of thing."

"Eric, you're a wealthy man. I'm sure you can afford a professional nurse to do that kind of thing. I can just see her, grey hair tied back in a tight pun, a white uniform with one of those little upside-down watches. I'm sure she'd give you a very thorough washing." The humour was sparkling in her eyes.

"I think I'd prefer you to Nurse Ratched if that's okay."

"I'll see what I can do." She leaned forward and kissed me again and I managed to (painfully) shuffle to the left which gave her some room to join me on the bed and snuggled into my undamaged right side. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her as close to me as possible, my head in her hair as I breathed her in.

"Are you okay, I mean your injury, will you recover?"

"Maybe not totally." I admitted honestly. There seemed no point to sugar coat it. "I'll need pretty extensive physiotherapy and I'm probably not going to be able to drive for a while."

"The roads will be a safer place!" She joked and I mockingly growled at her.

"I'll be able to do quite a bit of work from home. And I could speak to Damon about allowing you to do the same, if you're interested in doing that anyway."

"I'll speak to Damon on Monday, see what he thinks."

It was only Thursday by my reckoning. "You're not going in tomorrow?"

"I was thinking not. I don't think that I'd be able to think straight. At least not until you're out of hospital anyway." I kissed her again.

"I hate to say this, but I wish you had killed Quinn."

"Me too, though I think I may have shot his dick off." I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh, which I instantly regretted as the pain shot through my left side.

"Now that was a good shot. You must have quite the aim to shoot at something so small."

"My Gran taught me when I was about twelve. And anyway you shouldn't judge, not everyone is as blessed as you are in that department."

If I'd have been at full strength I'd have been on top of her in an instant and I could feel myself getting hard with just her words. At least I knew that certain areas of my body were still working.

"Are you intent on teasing me to death? You're killing me, woman!"

I could see her calculating her comeback when there was a knock at the door and a doctor came in with two police officers.

"Mr Northman," the taller one of the two said, "my name is Detective Flood and we will need to have a few words with you about what happened last night. Alone."

I scowled at his rudeness to Sookie, but she carefully got off the bed so not to hurt me. "I probably need to go back downstairs anyway and see the doctor before they let me leave. I'll be back later."

I smiled at her and she leaned down to softly kiss me on the lips, but I took the opportunity to kiss her with a little bit more passion than she had intended. When I let her pull away from me her face was flushed with a little embarrassment from kissing like that in front of other people.

I fully intended on getting her over that fear.

She left the room and I turned to the two policemen who took the two seats to the right of my bed. "Gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"We'll need you to tell us what happened when you were shot."

I told them (again) about what had happened on the Monday when Quinn had stolen my car and indicated that he was planning on dropping in on Sookie, and then how I made sure Sookie got the hell out of Bon Temps. I then told them that I'd driven Sookie home on the Wednesday night and gone into her house only to be confronted by Quinn pointing his gun at us. I explained how Sookie somehow negotiated us to where she knew her shotgun was hidden and how she shot Quinn after he'd shot me.

They'd written down everything I'd said and when I was done they got up to leave. "I do have one question, detective."

"Certainly, Mr Northman."

"I believe I spoke to one of your colleagues about the fact that I suspected Quinn would go to Sookie's home. Was that followed up?"

Detective Flood looked a little uncomfortable. "It was, but there was no signs of forced entry on her property and since we didn't have a warrant to enter we concluded that he was not there."

"Well he told us that he'd been waiting for her for two days, which makes me assume that he was there. But I saw no sign of forced entry and I don't doubt that Sookie would have locked up the place."

"We will have to speak to Ms Stackhouse as to whether he could have had a key," the detective mused as I thought the same thing.

Jason Stackhouse.

Had he _given_ Quinn a key to Sookie's house? If that was the case I fully intended on ripping Jason apart. Or at the very least turning him over to the police, however as I wanted to speak to Sookie first I decided on not saying anything. With any luck Quinn himself may incriminate Jason.

Once the police officers had left my surgeon came to visit me along with the physiotherapists I would be working with to aid my recovery. I was pleased to see that I was receiving top notch care from the doctors here, but then since I was a trustee of the hospital it was nothing less than I expected. After eating a substantial meal Sookie and Isabel turned up back at my room.

"Sorry, the doctors wanted to go over some stuff with me before they'd discharge me. But they seemed satisfied that I was already seeing Dr Brigant. I think you were in right in saying we may have more to discuss in therapy!" She took her place next to me again and brought my hand to her lips to kiss. It was a simple gesture but it made me realise what I felt for her. I was not going to let her go this time. "Oh, and I have your phone, though the battery is somewhat dead now. I'll get a charger for you."

"Thank you. Have you two eaten?"

"Yes, we grabbed a burger in the restaurant." Isabel answered. "Sookie's going to come home with me tonight, aren't you?" Isabel's tone was firm.

Sookie looked at me, her big blue eyes on mine. "You should," I told her, "you need some rest. You can stay here if you really want to, but Is can look after you better than I can right now."

"Sure. But I'll be back tomorrow if you'll let me."

"Let you? I'd come hunting after you if you stayed away."

Isabel stayed for the rest of the evening and the three of us fell into easy conversation. I couldn't help but be pleased with the easy friendship that the two of them were forming, and since Pam was going to be a complete bitch to Sookie, I was glad that Isabel was there to fill into the sister role. In some ways I probably was closer to Isabel than Pam from knowing her as a kid and her being married to my best friend.

While Sookie popped into the bathroom I took the opportunity to speak to Isabel. "Is, I just want to thank you for all you've done, you have been a good friend to Sookie and myself."

"Eric, it's what you did for me when Godric was sick, you're like a brother to me. Even if we did sleep with each other." She smirked at me.

"Tell me you haven't told Sookie the details," I pleaded.

"Of course I have. She needed cheering up and it is such a funny story."

I was the only one that never agreed with that. "Of course," I said, coolly.

"Get over yourself, Northman. If you love her as you say you do, and I know you do anyway, then you have to share your whole self with her. Even the funny bits."

She was right, of course. Isabel had an annoying habit of being right. Sookie came out of the bathroom and announced that it was probably time for them to leave since we'd been told on three occasions that visiting hours were long over. "I'll be outside," Isabel stated as she looked between us and smiled.

"Thank you for not dying."

I turned to her to see tears shining in her eyes again and I beckoned for her to come closer to me and sit on the edge of my bed. "Thank you for saving me. And I don't just mean from Quinn. Before you came back to Bon Temps I was a shell of a man. I worked seventy hours a week and I had no love in my life. You changed all that. You made me sit up and realise that I had loved you all these years even if I hadn't been prepared to admit it to myself. I know things haven't been easy, and I know we need to continue working on building our trust. But I love you, Sookie Stackhouse, and I have no intention of fucking this up."

"I love you too."

She leaned down to kiss me, one hand in my not very clean hair, the other one stroking the side of my neck. We were both kissing each other hard and moaning against each other's lips. I wanted so much more with her, I wanted to taste her, to be inside her. I wanted her to feel good.

"God, I want you," she moaned into my mouth and obviously feeling as turned on as I was. I moved my right hand to the heat between her legs and found that she wasn't exaggerating.

"And you called me a tease," she said with a smile against my lips.

"I'm not teasing," I said between kisses as I rubbed her harder.

"Eric, these aren't my jeans." Her moans were betraying her.

"Undo them." I said while nibbling on her neck. She did as I asked.

"You're so much trouble."

I reached in and found that she was soaking wet. I quickly slipped one and then a second finger into her, knowing that we didn't have much time while my thumb rubbed over her clit causing her to moan into my mouth.

It was an awkward position we were in with her half stood up and me lying propped up in bed, but she somehow managed to reach under the covers of my bed and reached inside my pants. As soon as her warm hand came in contact with my dick I nearly came straight away. "Fuck!" I hissed as she rubbed her hand along me, her thumb rubbing the sensitive tip while the rest of her hand expertly worked me.

I increased the speed and pace that my fingers were working at, determined that she would reach her orgasm before mine, and as I curled my fingers deep inside her to find that spot she hissed a curse into my mouth before I felt her body tense and my fingers were squeezed by her contracting walls.

She'd stopped her movements with her hand momentarily but as she came back down to earth she resumed her work on me and it only took a few more rubs before I exploded into my pants.

She tenderly kissed my lips and rested her forehead on my chest as we both calmed down. "I'll enjoy explaining that to the nurses when I have to change my pants!" I said with a smirk.

She scowled at me. "Can I request that you only have male nurses?"

"Sookie, no one else holds my attention like you do. Especially when you do things like that."

She kissed me again, her eyes looking a little sad again. "I never thought this morning that today would end in mutual orgasms. Eric, I have never been so scared than I was last night. I thought you might die. I thought I would never see you again. I can't do this without you, I need you."

"And I always thought you were so independent." I teased while rubbing her arm.

"I thought I was too, but evidently I'm not." She got up, did up her jeans, picked up her bags and gave me one last kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Definitely."


	27. Chapter 27

_Sorry for the delay, been a little bit busy this week!_

_Thanks for reading._

* * *

**Sookie**

I shut Eric's door behind me and I couldn't resist the huge smile that was on my face. Isabel was leaning against the wall and simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"Eric's okay then?" Isabel asked with a smile once we'd left the hospital.

I smiled and felt the blood rush to my cheeks. "He's fine."

"Sook, you don't need to be embarrassed. I'm happy for you both."

"I love him, Isabel." I couldn't resist smiling like a loon.

"Have you told him that?"

"Yes, although I think he already knew."

"Knowing Eric, he probably did." She stated as if it was the clear truth.

We got to Isabel's car and she drove me back to her home which appeared to be in the same area of Shreveport as Eric lived. Her home was a large, detached two storey with a gorgeous garden covered in wild flowers. She led me into the house, showed me where the kitchen was and then upstairs to one of her spare rooms. She kindly provided me with something to where overnight along with some clothes for the next day.

"Did you want me to drive you back to Bon Temps to pick up anything?" Isabel asked when I was sat in the living room with her.

She had a point, I had no clothes at Eric's and I certainly needed my phone, laptop and purse. It also suddenly hit me that my new car should have been delivered that morning and I had no idea what had happened to that not to mention Eric's car.

"It's probably a good idea, if that's okay. I need to pick up my purse and some clothes. Eric was also having a new car delivered for me, and I have no idea what has happened to that! But then Eric's car is there anyway."

"We'll go tomorrow morning. Will you be okay?" She obviously realised that it was going to be difficult to go back to Gran's house.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can ever live there again. I'm never going to be able to forget seeing Eric lying on the kitchen floor bleeding like that. I'll never feel safe there."

"You're going to stay with Eric?"

"I think so, he's offered for me to stay with him. Although I don't know how long he'll be in hospital."

"You're more than welcome to stay with me until he comes out, it'll be nice to have some company around the place."

I was very grateful for Isabel's offer, and although I knew that Amelia would have happily given a place to stay I somehow liked the fact that Isabel knew Eric so well. "I'd like that, thanks."

"Would you like a glass of wine? I think you could probably do with one."

"That'd be good."

Isabel disappeared momentarily to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of white wine and two glasses, pouring us both a large glass each. When Isabel had sat down I took the opportunity to ask her something that had been on my mind.

"Isabel, what exactly is Pam's major malfunction? I really don't get what I have done to her to make her act in the way she did. I got the feeling that the two of your weren't exactly best buddies."

She gave me a sly smile. "You could say something like that. We never were friends. I'm five years older than her so we never had much in common, but she was always crazily protective over Eric as he is her to some extent, or he certainly was. I don't think she minded him fucking around as long as nothing was serious or he got anyone pregnant, but for some reason she's taken objection now that he's in love."

"Is it that he's in a relationship or because it's me?"

"I really don't know, maybe both. Don't let her bother you, she's nothing and Eric's not going to listen to her over you. She's gone to Mississippi with her fiancé anyway so I wouldn't worry about her."

"That sounds like a good thing. I can't believe she's with a man, I thought she was of the militant variety."

Isabel laughed. "You're not the only one. I was somewhat surprised when Eric told me, even Eric couldn't quite believe it."

We chatted for a while longer and once the bottle of wine was empty I excused myself to bed to get a good night's sleep.

I had not realised what a relief it would be to sleep knowing that Eric was okay, and I found myself thinking of our conversation. I hadn't really planned on telling Eric that I loved him in that way, but it just came out and once I'd uttered those words to him I knew that I had meant it.

I slept until seven the next morning, showered and met Isabel for breakfast in her gorgeous kitchen. I was grateful for her to offer to drive me to Bon Temps, and I was certainly glad to have someone with me when I was to enter my house for the first time since the incident. I took the time during the drive back to borrow Isabel's phone and call Damon.

"Sookie, where are you, is everything okay?" Damon answered as soon as he realised it was me.

"Yeah, sorry about yesterday, I had a bit of a trauma on Wednesday night?"

"Meaning?"

I was hoping that I could get away without telling him specifics. "I was held at gunpoint by in my own home." I really didn't enjoy thinking about it.

"Shit, are you okay?" he asked, but before I could answer he continued. "This doesn't have anything to do with Eric Northman being shot does it? I can't imagine there being two shootings in a small town like Bon Temps."

I should have known that that gossip would be half way around the building by now. There seemed no point lying and I could speak to Eric later. "It does, Eric was at my house when he was shot."

"Are you dating Eric Northman?" Damon asked curiously.

I hoped to god that he was in his office alone. "I've known Eric a long time, his parents owned a place next to where I grew up." It wasn't a lie, although I hadn't answered his question.

"But you're more than friends, I take it? I did wonder if there was something between you the other week during our meeting."

"Look, what I wanted to say is that I won't be in today, but I'll hopefully be back from Monday and potentially working from home."

"I'm guessing getting the CEO's permission won't be an issue," his tone was dripping in sarcasm and I had a feeling he was assuming that I was sleeping my way to the top.

"Probably not. I'll speak to you later, Damon."

I hung up on him and told Isabel what he'd said to me. "Don't worry about it, Sook. Eric has never been concerned about who said what about his love life as most people never knew the truth anyway. Let people gossip, it doesn't matter. Don't let it get to you. Both of you know what the truth is and that is that you love each other. People are going to think that you're just with him for his money or to get to the top, but you both know that's not true."

I took in what Isabel said. "How did you get so smart?" I asked amusedly.

"Godric. He knew so much, and his opinion on about anything seemed to be right. He was about the only person who could out smart-ass Eric!"

"I wish I could have met him."

"He'd have liked you, and he would certainly like how happy you make Eric."

I smiled to myself as we drive the last few miles back into Bon Temps and back to my farmhouse for the first time since Eric's shooting. It felt like it had been years not days since I'd been there. I deliberately avoided the kitchen and went into my room throwing my clothes and toiletries into a couple of bags to take back to Shreveport. I found where I'd left my purse and phone along with my phone charger which I assumed Eric would need to borrow.

Isabel had sat chatting with me the whole time doing her best to keep me occupied, but I realised that Eric's car keys were probably in the kitchen. "I need to pick up Eric's car keys, they're in the kitchen."

"I'll go if you want me to." Isabel offered

"No, I think I need to do this, but will you come with me?"

She did just that, allowing me to tightly grasp her hand as we entered the kitchen. My eyes were instantly drawn to the spot where Eric had been lying, and I could see the patch of his blood that was still on the floor. I felt sick and tears began to fall from my eyes instantly as I remembered what had happened. Isabel rubbed my back as I grabbed the keys to Eric's Ferrari which was still sat outside my house and we locked up before leaving.

I had a feeling it would be a while before I went back.

Isabel gave me a hug in the driveway before we went our separate ways as I was going to drive Eric's car back to Shreveport while Isabel took the opportunity to go on to Monroe where she needed to speak to a supplier of hers.

"Thank you, Isabel. I really couldn't have done this without your help."

"No problem. Eric is my oldest friend and I have always wanted him to settle down and be happy. He is that with you and I hope we can be friends as well."

"You already are." I smiled and gave her a hug.

"Just one thing, though, as I doubt Eric will bring it up himself, but its his birthday next Tuesday."

I hadn't known. "He's thirty-two right?"

"Yes, not sure if you knew or not."

"No, I didn't, thanks. Can you not tell him that I know? It'd be nice to do something as a surprise."

"I'm not sure I want to know!"

"I didn't mean like that!" I tried to protest.

"Right, and that's coming from the girl who jerked him off in a hospital bed!" I felt traumatised and was certain I had gone bright red. I wanted the ground to swallow me up whole. "Sook, it's great that you have the kind of ease with each other! I'm just teasing, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"It's okay, hell, I'm the one that did it! But for the record, Eric started it."

"Now that does not surprise me. Here, I have a spare key for you in case you're back before me. Though I somehow doubt that!"

She handed me the key which I stored in my purse. "Thank you, Is, really, you're an absolute life saver."

"Tell Eric hi from me and to get his ass better."

"Will do."

Isabel left my drive first before I threw the bags into Eric's car and climbed in. I familiarised myself with the controls and I tried not to think exactly how much the car cost. I much preferred driving Eric's SUV. I had a feeling the car probably cost more than my annual salary. I drove carefully to the hospital and was somewhat relieved when I finally got there in one piece without so much as a scratch on the car. I picked up a magazine and a few newspapers for Eric along with a basket of fruit and a large bouquet of multicoloured gerbera daisies to brighten his room.

I knocked on his door before entering, Eric's eyes instantly locking on mine as I entered the room. I was sure that my grin matched his.

"Hey, how are you doing? Did you sleep okay?"

"I did, thank you. I'm glad you're here though, I'm already fed up of daytime TV. Are those for me?" He indicated to the flowers in my arms.

"They are, I thought they might brighten up the room, and everyone always needs a fruit basket!" I dumped the flowers and basket on the side and went up to Eric, sitting on the bed on his good side. I rested my hand on his bandaged chest and bent down to kiss him softly on the lips.

"I needed that," he stated once he'd let me pull away. "I missed you."

I smiled at him and kissed his hand. "I missed you too but I don't think there's room here in this bed for me. And anyway, the nurses would have it in for me if I did that."

"No doubt they already do!" he answered smugly.

"Well Isabel is happy that I stay at hers until you're released home, so it's not a problem."

"But you're coming home with me, right? You'll stay with me?" His blue eyes were intense on mine as he searched me for an answer.

"I am. You need someone to keep you in order."

"And after that? You'll stay?" I sighed, but before I could say anything Eric squeezed my hand and continued. "Sook, I know this is all happening quickly, but I'm not asking you to sleep in my bed, just stay with me. You're right in saying that I will need some help, and I want you to be the one to help me if you will. I don't want to push you."

"I know you don't. And I don't feel pushed, I just don't want to let you down if us living together doesn't work." I watched as he shut his eyes, a pained look on his face. I waited until his eyes were back on me. "Eric, I see no reason that it won't work. I want it to work. I want to be with you, I just want us to take it a few days at a time. I still have some trust issues to work through with Dr Brigant, I just … " I didn't know how to finish.

The fact was that I wanted nothing more than for things to work with Eric, I loved him after all. But I needed to take it slowly, I needed to take each day as it came.

"Sookie, please don't do this." His eyes were pleading.

"I'm not doing anything, Eric. I love you and I want to live with you, but please don't put pressure on me about the future. So much has happened. I thought I was happy with Bill, I trusted him, but he cheated on me. And before you say it, I know that you are not a cheat. But I thought that about Bill. All I'm asking is a little time to settle before I make any plans for the future. Things have moved so quickly."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it would be like to be with someone for eight years and then finding them fucking their boss. At least I don't have a boss to fuck!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're an ass at times, do you know that?"

"Yeah, but you love my ass. I know the way you stare at it!" I slapped him on the arm. "Are you still going to therapy tonight?"

"No, I think I'd rather stay here with you, if that's okay."

"That's more than okay."

I snuggled into this side and we kissed lazily as we watched some crap on the TV. I enjoyed the closeness with Eric, I enjoyed just being alone with him as we talked about our favourite films, books and places. He told me of some of the places he'd been to and places he wanted to take me. I was nowhere near as well travelled as he was, with Mexico being the only place outside of the States I'd been to, and that had been on my honeymoon with Bill so didn't count in my book.

"I spoke to Damon this morning," I told him after he'd recovered following his physio session. It looked painful some of the things that the woman had made him do and I almost wanted to cry out in protest when I saw the pain on his face, but she was the professional and I trusted her judgement.

"Everything okay?"

"I had to admit that the reason I wasn't in was that I was held up by Quinn with a gun and he kind of linked you being shot to me not being in. So basically he knows that there's something between us?"

"Is that a problem?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No, it's not," I replied as sincerely as I could. I wasn't one hundred percent convinced, but it was something I was going to have to get used to. As far as I was concerned it was my business and no one else had a right to know what I did in my private life. "I just wanted you to know that people are likely to know about us."

"Sook, I don't give two shits what people think. I told you, I will happily email the whole company and declare my love for you."

"I'd rather you didn't do that!" I smacked him on the arm.

"Or we could always get caught fucking in my office, I'm good with that."

"I'm sure you are, but I can assure you that the first time I fuck you is not going to be in your office, and I'm not entirely sure that you're in the right physical condition for that right now."

He mockingly looked offended. "Firstly, I can assure you that I would be more than up for fucking you right now, though I will admit we may have our positions limited. And secondly, does this mean that you will have sex with me?"

"I'm sure it will happen at some point." I said coyly.

He held my hand and looked at me earnestly. "I know it's likely to be a little strange between us, but I will never rush you. I'd wait years if I had to." His eyes were kind and loving.

"I know you would, in fact you have. But to be honest, I don't think I could wait that long. You're just too god damn hot, and after the way you worked me up last night I don't think I'd be able to keep you waiting too long."

"That's good to know," he purred as he pulled me close to him, pinching my nipples through the t-shirt I was wearing.

I felt my panties moisten instantly. "Fuck!" I moaned as he pinched me again. He started to place soft kisses on my neck causing me to melt into him while he palmed my breasts in his large hands and squeezed.

Eric was moments away from ripping off my shirt when there was a hugely unwelcome knock at the door. I quickly sat down in the chair by the bed, feeling a little flustered, before Eric called for the annoying person to come in. I was even less impressed when I saw it was Selah Pumphrey, the Chief Operating Officer of Northman Inc. She was well known at being a hard-ass bitch, and although I had never had any direct dealings with her she has always managed to look down her nose at me.

"Eric, how are you?" She asked a little too enthusiastically for my liking. She made no attempt at hiding her contempt at seeing me with Eric.

"I'm okay, thank you Selah. I didn't expect to see you here." His tone was venomous.

"Well, some … stuff … came up and we were unable to get hold of Miss Ravenscroft." She looked at me when she had said 'stuff', obviously unwilling to disclose anything in my presence. "I brought you a laptop and I understand from the nurse that you will be able to connect to the internet from your room. We did try to phone you but your phone still appears to be off."

"You do realise that he's been shot, right? You do get that he needs to time to recover before he goes back to work?" I could hold my tongue no longer.

"I am quite aware of that Ms …," she waited for me to give her my name while glaring at me.

"It's Stackhouse." I hissed.

"Fine, whatever. Well, Ms Stackhouse, if you would excuse us, the CEO and I have some important business matters to discuss and you are not welcome."

My mouth fell open as she pulled up the chair the other side of Eric and sat down. If Eric's bed hadn't been in the way I would have smacked her. I turned to Eric and saw the anger in his eyes, anger which had gone unnoticed by the bitch opposite me.

"Selah, I thank you for your time, but you can leave now. You can email me if anything important comes up and I will respond if I deem necessary." She looked up at him from the computer on her lap in genuine shock.

"Yes, but Eric – "

"It's Mr Northman to you, and I can assure you that you will not speak to Ms Stackhouse in that manner."

Luckily she had the sense to bite her tongue and not say what was obviously on her mind when she scowled at me. I had a distinct feeling that she was going to be trouble, and I didn't doubt that knowledge of Eric's and my relationship would be all over the company by the time Monday came around.

Selah stood up to leave, wishing Eric a speedy recovery and stalked out of the room. She had left the laptop by his bed, much to my annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Sook. I didn't expect her to be quite such a bitch. She's always been very pleasant to me."

"Of course she has! She obviously wants to sleep with you! And you're her boss, she's hardly going to be a bitch! And not to mention the fact that as she's the only female exec she's no doubt the type that will trample on anyone to get what they want. She probably thinks I'm in for the same knee up to the top."

"Sook, it doesn't matter what she thinks because I know that's not you," he argued. "And unfortunately it looks like we may have to live with the fact that at first everyone is going to make that assumption." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, I really didn't think things would happen like this. I just want us to be a normal couple. I want you and me curled up in front of the TV, I want you and me sat together eating a meal. I don't want the drama anymore."

I smiled at his seemingly simple requests and I agreed wholeheartedly. "I want that too, and if it means I'm not the most popular woman at Northman Inc. then so be it. I should have known what I was getting myself into, I could hardly expect the female population of the workplace to be happy that I've snagged you."

"What about the men?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well I know for sure that Lafayette thinks your hot, and he's my assistant, so I have a feeling that is not going to go down well. Maybe if I give him some details he may be okay."

"Details? What kind of details were you thinking of telling him?"

"You know, normal things. Size, performance, that kind of thing." I was trying to keep a straight face but I knew my eyes were betraying me.

"Oh really? I'm not sure that I can have that kind of information going around the office. If the women, and men, know how good I am I might need a bodyguard. And I think you're much better employed in marketing."

"Get over yourself, Northman!" I quipped. "Think you're god's gift to women don't you?" I ran my nails over his belly causing him to let out a moan.

"No, I'm only yours." His eyes were dark with lust as I started kissing up his arm. "Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"


	28. Chapter 28

**Eric**

Sookie stayed by my side for the two further days that I was in hospital, staying with me while I went through the physio, and my therapist showing Sookie some exercises I would be able to do with her when I got home. I felt hugely grateful to her for sticking by me in the way that she had, and it made me hope that maybe she did love me as much as I loved her.

I was almost glad of the fact that I was in hospital as it gave us the time to get to know one another. She spent upwards of ten hours with me each day on the Friday and Saturday, and we enjoyed the time together, chatting about different things, filling each other in on the ten years we had missed of each other's lives. And she spent much of the time curled up next to me on the bed, her head on my chest and within easy kissing distance, something we also did a lot of. I didn't push her for anything more, but I was more than happy to just have her close to me.

After going through all sorts of scans and tests the doctors told me late on the Saturday that they would let me leave the next morning. Sookie was as delighted as I was and I couldn't wait to get home for some time to ourselves. I'd asked Sookie to pick me up some clothes for the journey back from my house and she also took the opportunity to change my car since getting in and out of the Ferrari wouldn't have been that easy with my injury. I think Sookie was glad as she wasn't a huge fan of the Italian car for fear of damaging it. I was more concerned about her having an accident and injuring herself than caring about the car and I made her text me each time she got home.

Isabel had also popped in a few times and I couldn't have been happier with the relationship that her and Sookie seemed to be building. I was aware that she had good friends in Amelia and Tray, but that she could be such good friends with one of my friends made me very happy, especially when Pam had been such a complete bitch to Sookie.

I couldn't work Pam out. I didn't understand what the fuck was going on with her. The fact that she had gone to Europe and come back engaged to a man was strange enough, but the way she had reacted towards Sookie was strange. She'd initially seemed quite happy for me when I told her about Sookie and my reconciliation, and surprised that we were both in therapy. But I then didn't hear from her again until she was in my hospital room when I woke from my injury.

I wanted to kill her when I found out what she'd done to Sookie, the way she had treated her. And I didn't understand the sudden change in her. What had happened? Pam had always been protective over me, as I had her, but her hostility towards Sookie was unfounded. It almost seemed as if she wanted Sookie to get hurt, but I just could not work out why.

One thing I knew was that I needed to have a good talk to my sister when things had calmed down.

.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Ready to go home?" Sookie bounded into my room, not giving me any chance to answer before she gave me a huge kiss on the lips. Her breath was still minty from having brushed her teeth that morning. I wrapped my arm around her back to hold her in place and deepened this kiss, allowing my tongue to dual with hers. She moved her hands so both were in my still damp hair and moaned softly into my mouth. She was exquisite. "Is that a yes?"

"I'm definitely looking forward to going home. You've brought my stuff?"

"Of course." I knew she would. "What time do you get to escape this prison?"

"No idea. The doctor needs to sign my release and I need to see the physio before I leave, but I've put in a request that they come this morning. I want the afternoon with you."

"Oh do you now? Well I don't know what you'll think you're going to be doing, but from what the doctors have told me, you need to rest. You're still weak from your injury and moving home is likely to take it out of you. Remember that you lost a lot of blood and you've been bed bound for four days. So, mister," she poked me in the chest, "you're going to do as you're told."

Her stern tone made me stiffen instantly. "Yes, ma'am!" I mockingly saluted her. "I love it when you call the shots." I was almost purring.

She rolled her eyes. "No need to get a hard-on over it!"

I smirked. "Sorry, already there." I pushed down the covers to reveal my somewhat straining boxer shorts.

"Eric Northman you are insatiable! I sometimes wonder how the hell you managed to build up your business empire when you can't keep your mind off your dick for more than two minutes!" She kissed me again and sat down on the bed while facing me.

"There's a very simple answer to that." I stated somewhat seriously.

"And that is?"

"You were nearly two thousand miles away. Sook, I've never been distracted from work before. I used to work a ridiculous amount of time. I've never felt inclined to put anyone else before my 'business empire' as you call it. You're the only one that can distract me, the only one that can hold my interest."

She looked a little stunned and was clearly thinking about what to say next. I held her hand and rubbed circles into the back as she stared into my chest.

"I don't want to distract you from your work," she paused momentarily and I tried to protest to tell her that I would always choose her over work, but she placed a finger on my lips. "But I want to work with you. I want us to be a partnership. And I'm not saying that because I want your money or anything, you know me better than that, but I want you and I accept that with you comes your work. I wouldn't take that away from you, but I'd rather be part of it. And I don't care what people will say at work. I don't want Selah's job or Damon's job, I like what I'm doing now. But I don't want you to change your work because of me." She brought my hand to her lips and kissed each of my knuckles. "Does that make sense?"

"It does, Sookie, and I have to say that I love how well you seem to understand me. I would always put you first, but I'll admit to loving what I do. I too want it all. I am going to make some changes, however, I–"

"Eric …," she started in a warning tone.

"No, let me finish. What I was going to say is that I won't work the long hours that I used to, or if I do have to, then I'll do it at home with you at my side. I'm not going to go into this and then never see you. You're too important for that and I'm not going to lose you. I love you, Sook. It's you and me now."

I looked up at Sookie to see a tear sliding down her face, but her eyes were smiling at me. "Thank you, Eric." She moved to lie on the bed next to me and buried her head into my chest. I could feel the slight dampness on my skin from her tears and I simply allowed myself to breath her in.

The doctor and physiotherapist turned up around half eleven and after another round of tests, pokes and prods I was allowed to leave with a large bag of medication and a sheet of physio exercises that Sookie was going to be helping me with. I was almost desperate for a work out or swim, but I knew that that was not going to be an option for quite a while.

After they'd left the room I gave Sookie a huge celebratory kiss and then she helped me get changed. It was actually a lot harder than I had thought it would be. My left arm and shoulder were still very painful and stiff, something not made any easier by the heavy strapping. The doctors had asked me to use a sling as much as possible when I was home, only letting my arm out when I had to or when I was doing my physio.

Sookie pulled out the clothes she'd chosen for me – a pair of dark blue jeans, black boxers and a black short sleeve button down shirt. I was pleased to see that she had the foresight to not bring a t-shirt as I had a feeling it would hurt like hell to put it on. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed at needing so much of Sookie's help as she pulled down my boxers to help me into new ones and then into my jeans. I had my good arm on her back for support, but she made it worth my while with a few playful strokes and kisses that helped me get over my embarrassment somewhat.

"Eric, you were shot for fuck's sake!" she scolded. "You can't expect to be one hundred percent fit straight away. I'm more glad that you're alive and you certainly don't have to be embarrassed that I'm helping you. I'm your girlfriend, it's what any girlfriend would do."

I couldn't help but grin as she said those words. I'd never heard her call herself my girlfriend before and I felt my heart swell and my cock grow. Something that did not go unnoticed by Sookie as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Say it again." I asked.

"What, that I'm your girlfriend?" She grinned at me.

"Yes, I like to hear it."

She pulled my jeans up and fastened them but not before giving my butt a good squeeze with a hand on each cheek. I gave her a querying look.

"What? You have a glorious butt! I think it may be my favourite thing on you."

I almost felt offended. "Seriously? My butt is your favourite thing? My _girlfriend_ prefers my butt to anything else on me?" I emphasised the 'girlfriend' word and pretended to sulk with her. "What about other bits of me?" I asked, my right eyebrow raising almost into my hairline.

"Oh, I like other bits of you as well. Your chest and stomach," she ran a trail of kisses on the un-bandaged parts of my trunk. "Your strong arms," she ran her nails the whole length of my right arm from shoulder to finger tips, "your gorgeous and handsome face," she placed a flurry of kisses along my cheeks and jawline. "Your strong legs," I felt her hands drop to my thigh but she continued to avoid the place I wanted her to touch, "your beautiful hair," she reached back up to my head and ran her fingers through my hair, pulling a little which only managed to turn me on further.

I could stick it no longer. "I think you're forgetting somewhere." I reached up to grasp her left hand and placed it on the straining crotch of my jeans.

"Oh this?"

"Yeah, this." I hissed as she rubbed my bulge.

"It's a gracious plenty." Her beautiful blue eyes were dancing with humour.

"A gracious plenty? I like that. I might prefer enormous or gigantic, but I'll take a gracious plenty." I had a feeling that that nickname would stick.

"Come on, let's get you dressed so we can get out of here." She tenderly and carefully helped me on with my shirt, buttoning it up before placing the sling around my neck and supporting my arm as I moved it into position.

Once my socks and shoes were on she picked up the bags and held the door open for me. We were met by a nurse with a wheelchair, something I complained about bitterly but I was not given my own way. After being wheeled to the exit of the hospital I quickly got out of the chair and gave Sookie a kiss on the top of her head as she led me to where the SUV was parked, throwing the bags into the back and helping me into the car.

"Thank you, Sookie. For everything." I said once she'd started the engine and drove slowly out of the hospital parking lot and towards home. It felt good to be going home with Sookie and I hoped that she would soon consider my house to be her home as well.

She pulled up outside the front steps of my house and came around to my side of the car to help me out before escorting me up the steps. I was honestly surprised at how much the trip back from the hospital had taken it out of me, and Sookie led me straight into the living room before going back out to pick up my bags.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she walked back into the living room and carefully curled up into my right side.

"A little, but right now I need some Sookie-time."

She grinned at me and brought her lips within millimetres of mine, her hot breath teasing me. I leaned forward to taste her lips but she matched my movements and pulled back, a wicked grin on her face.

"Think we're funny do we? Feel like taunting the cripple do you? Is that it?" I tried to lean in closer to her but she yet again pulled away from me, her eyes locked on mine. She moved to straddle my lap and placed a hand on either side of my face.

"You're not a cripple. You're a brave man who stood in front of me while a mad man was pointing a gun in our direction and was threatening to rape me. I would have died if you had not been there. Eric, I owe you my life. I love you." She placed a soft kiss on my nose. "But yes, I am taunting you."

I growled at her and placed my hand to the side of her face pulling her closer to me. This time she didn't resist and met my kiss with passion. I completely lost myself in her. Her taste, her smell, her touch as her body pulled close to mine. I ignored the pain in my shoulder and arm, her kisses and closeness being all the anaesthetic I required.

"I love you," she stated when finally pulled away from me and sat back on my knees, my hand on her waste. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Of course not," I lied. "But I have to admit to being hungry if you're still offering." I knew that I probably needed to eat before I could take my pain killers.

She looked at me sceptically before climbing off my lap. "Sandwich and chips okay or would you prefer something more?"

"That sounds good."

She disappeared into the kitchen after passing me the remote control for the huge flat screen TV on the wall and placing a tender kiss on my head. She came back around ten minutes later carry large glasses of sweet tea first before coming back with grilled cheese and ham sandwiches and a large bag of potato chips. It was just what I needed after a few days of hospital food.

For the rest of the afternoon we fell into an easy and comfortable pattern as we watched a few movies or talked. I nodded off a few times while watching the TV due to my pain meds, and she had scolded me for not telling her that I had been in pain when she had been in my arms. It was worth it as far as I was concerned, but she was much more careful with me after that.

When it came to bed time I could hardly hide my disappointment when she told me that she was going to sleep in the room next to mine. I pleaded with her, begging almost, but she was insistent that she may hurt me by moving around in her sleep and she'd prefer it if she was in the other room safe in the knowledge that she would not be hurting me. I gave in eventually but only under the proviso that she stayed with me until I fell asleep. I think she knew I was hoping she'd fall asleep first, but as my medication kicked in it was me that drifted off first.

I was woken early on the Monday morning by Sookie bringing me in a cup of coffee and placing it on the bedside table. She'd already learnt that I liked to drink my coffee cold.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Can I get you some breakfast before I go?"

Go? Where the fuck was she going? I lifted my head to look at her and saw that she was dressed in a simple black pinstripe pant suit with a crisp white fitted blouse underneath. She looked totally fuckable.

"What time is it?" I asked before groaning in pain as I moved to sit up slightly. Sookie instantly handed me two painkillers and a glass of water.

"Eight-thirty. Is toast okay or do you want more?"

"Toast is fine but–"

She cut me off with a kiss to my lips as she removed the glass from my hand and disappeared back out of the room. I was feeling a little pissed that she was leaving again so quickly. She came back a few minutes later with a rack of buttered toast and placed it on a tray on my lap.

"You don't have to mother me." I snapped without thinking before hastily apologising. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just … this," I gestured to my situation being in bed with a bandaged and painful shoulder, "this is difficult. I don't like not being in control. I'm not used to relying on other people. I don't like to be needy." I reached out for her hand and she accepted it, bringing my fingers to her lips as she carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

"I know, Eric. I was equally stubborn with my ankle if you will remember. But I want to be here for you and I'm prepared to take your crap."

"Where are you going? I thought you were working from home?"

"And I thought you weren't going to be needy." She gave me a warm smile. "I need to pick up my laptop and speak to Damon about what he wants me to do, we have the project to work on, after all. I also wanted to pop into Shreveport, but I hope to be back by around early afternoon. I'll call you if I will be later."

"Fine, but don't listen to any crap in there and tell me if I need to fire anyone." I squeezed her hand.

"Yes, because that will go down well! Someone says something mean about me and I go running to my big scary boyfriend and get them fired." She was putting on a childish voice and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Big, scary boyfriend eh?" I liked hearing her call me her boyfriend as much as I liked her calling herself my girlfriend. I took a bite of the toast.

"Well, maybe not quite so scary as you normally are with butter dripping down your chin!" I wiped the butter off my chin with the back of my hand. "I'll be fine, Eric. And I won't be long, promise." She leaned in for a lingering kiss and I could tell that she didn't want to end the kiss as much as I did. "See you in a few hours and if you need anything, just call me ." She lingered on the 'anything' and I felt my cock twitch.

She got off the bed, and I heard her go down the stairs before driving off. As soon as I could no longer hear the car I picked up my phone and dialled the number for Damon Cataliades.

"Damon, it's Eric."

There was a pause before he answered me. "Eric, how are you? I heard about the shooting."

"I'm fine. No long term damage." My tone was cold and snappy, "I wasn't calling for a chat. I understand that Sookie spoke to you on Friday. We are seeing each other, she is mine." I was aware of quite how possessive I sounded, but I found myself liking it. She was mine. "She's coming to see you about her working from home, and you will bend over backwards to help her if necessary. I also want you to make sure there is no gossiping about her or bitchy comments from her work colleagues. I won't stand for her being hurt by anyone, but she also doesn't want any special treatment so don't make it obvious."

"Of course, Mr Northman." He didn't say any more than that but I knew we had an understanding. I wasn't going to have Sookie upset. I knew I couldn't protect her from everything, but I was going to damn well try.

I felt the painkillers kick in and tiredness took over me so I took the opportunity for a quick sleep. Waking an hour or so later I climbed out of bed and attempted a quick wash while trying to avoid getting my bandages wet before changing and going down to my office to boot up my laptop. I had over three hundred emails to plough through, most of them I was able to ignore, but some were more important and I spent time replying to them. Typing with one hand was a pain in the ass.

I hadn't noticed the time passing and before I knew it Sookie was standing in the doorway of my office. "Have you at least eaten?" Her tone was slightly annoyed and I knew she no doubt thought I was over exerting myself.

"I didn't realise you were back." I got up slowly to move to her.

"Sit, Eric," she commanded. "I've been back for ten minutes. Seriously, you're meant to be resting."

"What time is it?"

"Three. You've completely lost track of time haven't you?" I sank back into my chair and Sookie came to sit on my desk in front of me. She'd changed out of her suit and into a pale blue long sleeved dress. I slid my hand up one leg and down the other. "So have you eaten?"

"No." I admitted.

"It's a good job I'm working from home for the rest of the week. _You_ need babysitting." She poked me in the chest. "Oh, and strangely enough Damon is doing everything he can to help me."

"That's good." I had a feeling my poker face was failing.

"Eric. I know that you spoke to him. You can't lie to me, mister."

"Sook … I …"

"It's okay. I appreciate that you've spoken to him, but you really don't need to and I'd prefer to fight my own battles."

"It's both of our battle, Sook."

"I know. But you've already said that you don't care what people say and you're locked away in your own office with its private elevator. I work among the masses. I'm the one that's going to get the abuse and bitchy comments, not you."

"Sookie –"

"Let me finish. What I'm trying to say is that I don't care. I don't care what other people think, because at the end of the day I'm the one that gets to come home to you. You're mine."

It felt very good to hear her say that. "As you are mine." I ran my finger along her panties and she hissed in pleasure.

"Enough with the distractions. Are you hungry?"

I had to admit that I was. "I am. I'll come with you."

I joined her in the kitchen and sat at the counter as she worked up an omelette for us each. I found it incredibly hot to see her in my kitchen. After eating and taking further painkillers we curled up together in the living room and watched some crap on TV. We ordered take out that evening and fell back into easy conversation. She still insisted on sleeping in the separate room and I again felt disappointed that I wouldn't get to wake with her, particularly as the next day was my birthday. I was aware that I hadn't told her, but I felt disappointed nonetheless.

.

I was having an incredible dream.

Sookie's hot mouth was on me, her lithe tongue teasing the head of my cock before she moved to take me into her mouth fully. I could feel her small hands firmly stroking what she couldn't fit into her mouth, my balls softly massaged by her fingers.

I was close to coming. I heard Sookie moaning around my cock and my eyes snapped open. I wasn't dreaming.

I looked down to see Sookie straddling my legs, my boxers pulled down and my cock in her mouth. She grinned up at me when she saw me wake. "Fuck," I hissed as she resumed her work on my cock, her eyes on me the whole time. I involuntarily jerked my hips, thrusting into her mouth further, the head of my cock hitting the back of her throat.

I could feel my orgasm growing, and when she started humming around me I could take so more. "Shit, fuck, I'm close, Sook. I'm going to come." It was only polite to give her warning, but I was desperate to come in her mouth.

Her eyes stayed on mine as she licked the head of my cock before taking me all the way back into her hot mouth. I bucked my hips and released into her mouth with a shout of her name, my good hand in her hair. She swallowed ever bit I had to offer and licked her lips after she'd released me with a 'pop' of her lips.

"Fuck, Sookie. What the hell was that for?"

She let out a beautiful smile as she climbed into bed next to me. It was only then that I noticed she was only wearing a barely-there red lacey bra and matching thong. I was instantly hard again. She snuggled into my side, her head on my shoulder and hand stroking my cock again.

"I didn't know what to get you."

"What?"

"I didn't know what to get you," she repeated. "For your birthday."

I couldn't stop the huge smile that broke out on my face. "You knew?" I leaned down to kiss her.

"Yup. Isabel told me. It's where I had to go yesterday. I needed to prepare."

"Prepare? Am I to think that that was not all of my birthday present?"

She grinned up at me. "Nope. That was just you're wake up call."

"Fuck!" I growled.

"And I'm sorry I haven't been sleeping with you. I just wanted that to be a surprise."

"That, it was."

She was an absolute minx and I loved her hugely. I could not wait until for the rest of my birthday present and I had a feeling that my thirty-second birthday was going to be the best one to date.

* * *

The rest of Eric's birthday celebrations will be in the next chapter!

Thanks for reading and all the reviews, alerts and favourites. It's very humbling that people take the time to read this.


	29. Chapter 29

_Warning: this chapter is a little smutty!_

_;)_

* * *

**Sookie**

I hated the look of disappointment on his face when I informed Eric that I wouldn't be sleeping with him in his bed.

The fact was that I wasn't sure I'd even be able to sleep without him and I wanted nothing more than to curl up with him. But I had a plan regarding his birthday and I was determined to stick to it no matter how much it hurt. It was also somewhat evident that Eric was pissed at me for leaving him on the Monday morning. I tried to not let it get to me, but keeping my distance from him was tough. I was almost alarmed at how used I'd become to him in such a short time.

It was true that I did need to speak to Damon and pick up my laptop, but I also needed an excuse to leave the house so I could get into Shreveport and go shopping for the essential items I needed to make Eric's birthday perfect.

I arrived at the office at nine and walked into the building. I was instantly aware that all eyes were on me and the foyer to the building was annoyingly and unusually busier than it normally was. The only smile I got was from receptionist Becky and I felt bad for my initial judgement of her considering that she had become somewhat of an ally since when it came to Eric.

It certainly didn't help my cause that Selah Pumphrey was one of the people in the foyer and I could hear her not very subtly telling people that she had seen me in the hospital by Eric's side and 'no doubt fucking her way to the top', as Selah put it. I tried my best to ignore their jealousy and reminded myself of what I'd told Eric. I was the one who was driving Eric's car, was living in his home and was going home to his arms. I allowed myself to smile at that thought, stuck my head up and walked through the gaggle of people to the elevators to head up to the seventh floor.

After the exiting the elevator and entering the department I was almost instantly confronted by Lafayette.

"So she returns," he stated. "Bitch, I think someone's not been telling me the whole truth."

I sighed. "There's really not that much to tell, Laf." I knew Lafayette was not going to buy that one.

"Oh really? So you weren't in bed with Eric while he was in hospital? And he wasn't shot at your house by your psycho ex-boyfriend?"

I was amazed at quite how things could be twisted. "Firstly, I was not in bed with him, and …"

"So you were with him?" Lafayette accused.

"Yes, I was at the hospital with him." I said, feeling resigned, "and secondly he was not shot by my psycho ex-boyfriend. He was shot by _his_ psycho ex best-friend. But I really don't have to explain myself –"

"Reynolds, leave Ms Stackhouse alone." Our conversation was cut short by Damon hunting us down. "Sookie, won't you please come with me." Lafayette shot me a look which said that our conversation was not over and I followed Damon into his office. He indicated for me to sit and closed the door behind me.

"I have a laptop for you and I'm more than happy for you to work at home. I've emailed you all the details and all I'd ask is that you keep in contact with myself and Lafayette, who will be supporting you on this project. Is that okay?"

He was being very supportive, almost too supportive, and I had a feeling that Eric had something to do with it. Though I wasn't overly surprised. I had pretty much expected it that Eric would tell Damon to do as I wished, and I felt kind of bad that Eric was pulling his weight around because of me. I didn't want special treatment just because I was the girlfriend of the CEO.

"Damon, I'm sorry about Eric. He's a little protective over me. I know that I'm going to get some stick because we're together, but I'm not looking to climb into anyone else's job – yours or otherwise."

"Sookie, I don't know what –"

I interrupted him. "Damon, Eric's about as subtle as a sledgehammer. I guessed he probably would contact you despite me asking him not to. I'll be having words with him when I get home."

"You are living with him then?"

I couldn't resist smiling. "I am."

"Do you mind if I ask how long you've been together?"

"That's a complicated one. The honest answer can be measured in days, weeks at the most. But I've known Eric for many years and we've had a somewhat complicated relationship since I've been back in Louisiana. But the fact is that right now he needs a little babysitting due to his injury and I'm the best placed to do it. I don't doubt that he's going to be continuing to work, so I will be working as well."

"Sure, and I can assure you that what you've told me won't leave this room."

"Thank you, Damon. I do probably need to have a quick word with Lafayette before I leave."

"At your own risk!" he laughed.

I left Damon's office and as soon as I'd walked into mine Lafayette was following me in.

"Okay, spill."

"What do you want to know?"

"What do I want to know?" I had a feeling I shouldn't have said that. "Girl, I want to know everything about that man."

I grinned at him. "Well, I'm not telling you _everything_."

"I'm happy to make it up!"

"I'm sure you are! There's really not much to say. I knew Eric years ago and we've reconnected since I moved to Louisiana. It's not been an easy ride for us, but things seem to be headed in the right direction now. You're not getting any more than that out of me, so don't ask."

"No specifics then?"

"None at all."

"Bitch."

"Back at you! Look, Laf, I'm probably going to be off radar for today and tomorrow, but you'll hear from me after that regarding work."

"You in Bon Temps or Shreveport?"

"I'm here in Shreveport at Eric's house."

"Playing nursemaid?"

I couldn't resist smiling. "Something like that."

I said goodbye to Lafayette and a few others in the department before heading back out to my car. Well, technically Eric's car as the one he'd bought for me hadn't been redelivered. Eric had told me that he'd had emails from the dealers regarding the delivery, but as yet hadn't arranged a date and time. I almost felt like it seemed a waste of money since I'd become rather attached to the black SUV I was driving, but it was a gift and I was trying my best to accept Eric's gifts.

I got to the car without further incident and headed to the mall where I'd arranged to meet Isabel. I couldn't deny that it felt a little odd asking her for help with Eric's birthday present since they had slept together, but I knew they had been only friends for a very long time.

I bought a few scented candles and perfumed massage oil before meeting up with Isabel at a coffee shop for a much needed beverage.

"So, have you got any ideas?" Isabel asked once we were seated.

"I was thinking about a variation of both sensual and romantic and downright slutty!"

"I can't imagine a man that wouldn't like that!

I was feeling somewhat embarrassed. "I was thinking that I might buy a nurses outfit."

Isabel let out a loud laugh. "That's perfect! Since you're playing nursemaid it's only appropriate. Are we talking bed baths?"

I grinned. "That was on my mind, yes. Among other things." I raised an eyebrow at her. "I was also going to cook him a romantic meal, hence the candles." I opened the bag to show her.

"Is that massage oil?"

"Yeah, though I'm not sure I'll get to use it since he's still heavily bandaged. But what I really wanted to ask you was what to get him as a gift. What the hell do you get the man that has everything?"

She thought for a few moments. "I think in essence he wants you, so some sexy lingerie and your nurses outfit is going to be appreciated. But he's never been one for birthdays. I don't even remember him doing much for his thirtieth. I think Godric and I had to pretty much drag him away from his office so he'd go out celebrating. It may sound cheesy, but I think having you is all the birthday present he's going to need."

"You're right, that does sound cheesy! But I do remember him telling me that he collected books. Could I get him something along those lines?"

"That's a good thought. Have you seen his library?"

I had to think. I knew I hadn't seen it but I was struggling to think even where it could be? Did Eric have hidden doors in his home? A basement? "No, and I can't even think where it is."

"It's above his garage. It's a gorgeous room with windows on three sides. It's his sanctuary. I think he's only let me in there on a number of occasions. His book collection is quite spectacular and probably worth a fortune."

"I can't even think where his library is!" I admitted.

"There's a small passageway between the two bedrooms opposite to his room." I remembered seeing that passageway, but hadn't asked at the time Eric was showing me his bedrooms where it led.

"There's a rare books store a few miles from here, I can show you if you want and see if there's something you can get him."

"Thank you, that'd be great."

After finishing our coffees I bought some sexy red lingerie – since red was without doubt his favourite colour – and also bought the nurses outfit. I was glad to have Isabel with me as I didn't think I'd be brave enough to walk into the store on my own, and she also convinced me to buy a few extra items that I could try with Eric at some point. Finally, I bought some red patent pumps that were hugely uncomfortable but would at least match my lingerie and the red piping on the nurses outfit.

After getting all I needed I followed Isabel to the book shop and after browsing for what felt like hours I settled on getting him a signed first edition of Ken Kesey's On_e Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest_. It seemed somehow appropriate considering Eric's comment about Nurse Ratched the day before.

"Sook, you do realise how much that costs, right?"

I had to admit that I was looking more for an appropriate book that I thought Eric would like rather than worrying about cost. I shrugged at Isabel. "I'm not bothered by the price. I want to get something that Eric will like." I walked to the cashier's desk and placed the book on the counter.

"Sook, that book costs six thousand dollars!"

I swallowed. I hadn't quite expected that. But I wanted to get it for him. I wanted to get him something I knew he would appreciate. And anyway, that was the money I'd have spent on a new car and since I didn't need to do that anymore it felt more than worth it. I pulled out my credit card and paid for the book, asking the girl to wrap it for me

"You're mad, you know that." Isabel said with an amused grin on her face.

"I'm in love, what can I say?"

I gave Isabel a hug before driving home to Eric via the store to pick up food for the evening. I was surprised at how long I'd been and hoped that I'd have the opportunity to sneak in and dispose of my gifts without Eric catching me. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about since Eric was sat in his office with his head in his computer and was completely oblivious to my return back. I went and hid my purchases before changing and going down to see Eric.

After eating a late lunch we curled up on the sofa together, Eric flicking channels in the way that I was quickly becoming accustomed to before eventually settling on some reruns of _Buffy_. We ordered take out before Eric started to doze off and I escorted him up to his room. I still felt horrible at not sleeping with him, but I had plans for the next day and I wanted to catch him off guard. Before I went to sleep I showered, shaved and buffed myself as well as twisting my hair so it would be extra curly the next morning. Finally I sorted through my plan for the next day, laying out what I needed.

.

I'd set my alarm for six, long before Eric would be waking thanks to his painkillers and went to put the coffee on. I hadn't gotten out of the habit of sleeping in one of Eric's t-shirts, but since it was more like a dress anyway I wasn't concerned. I scattered some of the candles I'd bought around the kitchen, living room and dining room and lit the fire in the living room. Since the temperature had dropped it was almost becoming needed, but I'd always loved an open fire and found them hugely romantic. I filled a large bowl with boiling water and a little soap to leave in the room, knowing that by the time it was ready to be used it should be the perfect temperature.

After drinking my coffee I headed upstairs to get changed, feeling strangely anxious and nervous about my plans, but hugely excited. I only hoped that Eric would appreciate what I was doing and not think it too much too soon. He'd made enough comments about wanting to have sex with me, so I was fairly certain he'd appreciate it. He was a bloke after all.

At seven-thirty I could wait no longer. I'd left Eric's door open the night before and I could here his light snoring that told me that a) he was asleep and b) that he was lying on his back. I crept into his room and saw that he was slightly propped up on his pillows, but only had a thin sheet covering him and his legs were conveniently together.

I slowly pulled the sheet aside, relieved that he showed no signs of waking, before softly climbing up his bed and positioning myself over his legs. I rubbed him through his black boxers a few times before pulling them down to unveil his hardening length. Eric started to stir as I stroked him and I took him into my mouth, teasing the head of his cock with my tongue and stroking the base with one hand and fondling his balls with the other.

I looked up at Eric with a smile to see that he was squirming in his sleep, obviously very close to waking and I moaned around his length as I continued to suck, hollowing out my cheeks for additional suction. His eyes snapped open when he heard me moan and they were surprised but dark with lust. I smiled up at him as best I could as I continued my work as he bucked and moaned underneath me, cursing under his breath. I started humming again and he gave me appropriate warning time that he was going to come, but I simply kept my eyes on his, licked the head and continued working him.

It was only a few seconds later that he came with a thrust and a shout of my name, exploding into my mouth. His hand was in my hair but he'd thrown his head back in ecstasy. After swallowing all he had to give I crawled off him and tucked myself into his side. It was only then that he noticed the red lingerie I was wearing and I could see his dick springing back to life.

"Fuck, Sookie. What the hell was that for?" He looked beautiful in his post-orgasm state.

I started to gently stroke his re-hardening length. "I didn't know what to get you." I tried to smile innocently.

"What?"

"I didn't know what to get you," I repeated. "For your birthday." I watched as a smile of recognition hit his face.

"You knew?" He gave me a soft kiss, not concerned that I'd just tasted him.

"Yup. Isabel told me. It's where I had to go yesterday. I needed to prepare."

"Prepare? Am I to think that that was not all of my birthday present?"

I smugly smiled at him. "Nope. That was just you're wake up call."

"Fuck!"

"And I'm sorry I haven't been sleeping with you. I just wanted that to be a surprise."

"That, it was." He kissed me again.

"Good, because I don't like sleeping in there on my own." In all honesty, I hated it.

"Have I told you recently that I love you?"

"Not today. But Eric, I really do love you. I don't quite know how I resisted you for so long, how I pushed you away. I'm sorry."

"No, Sookie. We had a lot to get over. Us jumping into bed with each other straight away would not have worked for either one of us. It's happened this way because this is how it needed to happen. Though maybe we could have done without you breaking your ankle and Quinn shooting me."

"Not to mention trips to England and not speaking to each other for weeks on end! Did you hear anything from the police about Quinn?" I was still sightly scared about being charged over shooting him, even if it was self defence.

"No, I can call them, but I'm not sure I want to hear about someone having their dick sown back on after what you just did!"

"I can agree with that. You hungry? I was going to bring you breakfast in bed if that's okay."

"That's more than okay. After that wake-up call I'll admit to being ravenous."

"Good, don't move."

I gave Eric a kiss on the cheek before disappearing back downstairs and making breakfast for us both, brining it up on a large wooden tray and placing it between us on the bed along with two cups of much needed coffee. After eating I placed the tray on the floor and straddled his lap.

"I'd have liked to have taken a shower or bath with you, but your bandages are going to cause problems with that."

He swallowed audibly, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "Did you have something else in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking that I could give you a sponge bath." I replied coyly.

I watched as his dick twitched. "I'd like that." His voice was a little strained.

"Good. Why don't you wait for me downstairs in the living room, and I'll be down in a few minutes."

He nodded and I walked him out of his room, watching him reach the living room before I opened the door into my room. I stripped off the red bra and panties deciding on going bare underneath the dress and pulled on the tight fitting white nurses outfit. It had a red zip up front with a wide, deep v-neck and a halter top. The length of the dress only just covered my butt. I pinned the white and red cap into my hair and pulled on the red pumps before making my way carefully, quietly and slowly downstairs.

"Sit down on the hug by the fire with your back resting against the chair and close your eyes." I commanded from outside the door. From the crack I could see that Eric moved from sitting on the sofa and onto the soft rug on the floor. "Are your eyes shut?"

"Yes," he groaned.

I smiled to myself and walked slowly into the room, allowing Eric to hear the sound of my heeled shoes on the wooden floor. I could tell that he was desperate to open his eyes, but they were scrunched shut in concentration. I stood by his feet and told him he could open his eyes, something he did immediately.

I watched as his eyes drank me in, starting with the shoes, and going up the length of my legs to the base of the dress, and on upwards to my partially exposed breasts and up to my eyes. "Fuck," was all he seemed able to say.

"Is it time for your sponge bath, Mr Northman?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that?"

"Yes nurse." I felt the moisture pooling between my legs as Eric started to play along.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "First, I think we need to remove these." I knelt down next to him and softly stroked him through his boxer shorts. "Lift your ass in the air," I commanded and he did as he was asked. I slowly slid his shorts off his legs, his dick springing free, and I threw them haphazardly over my shoulder in the direction of the sofa. "Now, where shall we start?"

Eric said nothing but watched as I reached for the bowl of soapy water, checking the temperature (which was perfect) and squeezed the sponge a few times. He moaned as I started on his right ankle, leaning over him to do so, and started softly washing him with the warm water, working my way up his leg. Once one leg was done I repeated the action with his other leg, paying utmost care and attention to what I was doing and trying my absolute damndest to ignore his gaze which was burning into me.

Once both legs were done and patted dry I moved the bowl so it would be within easy reach and sat and straddled him, still avoiding where he was desperate for my attention. As I started on his right arm he growled a few expletives at me, but I ignored him with a smile and gently washed his arm with careful dabs, paying attention to his muscled shoulders and arm pit. I then even more carefully started working on his left arm, trying not to hurt him and avoiding any places I thought would hurt him.

"Sookie, please!" he moaned as I started on the exposed parts of his neck, face, chest and abdomen. I met his eyes momentarily which were dark with lust and need, before climbing off his lap and asking him to lean forward slightly so I could repeat the process to his back. Once done I stood up again, Eric's eyes slowly working their way back up my body.

"Well, that has you nice and clean!" I commented, bending over to pick up the bowl at my feet and giving Eric a birds eye view of my bare ass. I placed the bowl on the coffee table. "Now it's time for you to get dirty again."

I winked at him as I straddled him again, his hands immediately on me and pulling me closer to him for a passionate and needy kiss. His hands were in my hair as mine were in his and we were kissing as if it would be our last. When finally managing to draw away from each other he started rubbing his fingers along my legs and up underneath my dress as far as they could go. His fingers were suddenly at my breasts as he roughly massaged them earning a moan from me, our eyes fixed on each others.

"Much as I love this outfit, I want you out of it."

He found top of the zip that was hidden in my cleavage and slowly undid the dress, my breasts springing free instantaneously as he ran his fingers along the newly exposed flesh. As the dress came off he threw the it in the same direction that his boxers had gone. I leaned down to kiss him as he hands frantically ran over my body, pinching, tickling, rubbing and squeezing in all the right places before I felt a long finger dive into my very wet centre.

"Fuck!" I shouted loudly as he started working me, my head thrown back.

"Look at me," he ordered. "I want to watch you when you come for me."

It wasn't going to take long considering I'd worked myself up for two days for this. He curved his fingers inside me while expertly rubbing my clit with one hand, his left hand stroking my thigh. He had me squirming on his lap and I could feel the familiar warmth in the pit of my stomach as my orgasm approached. "Eric," I hissed as my release ripped through me.

He continued stroking me as I came down from my orgasm and I met his eyes. He was wearing a smile that reached every corner of his handsome face and that alone made me warm and contented inside. I loved the fact that I could make Eric smile like that.

"You're fucking amazing, Sookie. Thank you for this."

"You're pretty amazing yourself." I stated. "Particularly at doing that. And anyway, no need for thanks yet, this is still only the start."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What else did you have planned." He took a nipple into his mouth and flicked his tongue across it as I lost my train of thought.

"Well, for a start I want you to fuck me."

If it was possible, Eric's smile increased momentarily before he looked a little concerned. "Are you sure? I mean I don't want to push you."

"Eric, I want you to fuck me." I repeated. "I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. I appreciate that you're trying to look out for me, but I'm fairly certain we've been taking this slowly for long enough and I'm not sure how much longer I can take not having your gracious plenty inside me." I gave him a few rubs to accentuate my point.

"You have no idea how much I want to fuck you," he purred while nibbling on my neck.

"I think I may have a good idea!" I climbed off his lap, slipped the red pumps off and held out a hand to him. "I'm on the pill and clean."

Eric's eyes got wider with surprise before they were replaced with a look of lust again. "As am I. Are you sure, I don't mind wearing – "

"I want to feel you, Eric." I interrupted. "Now sit."

I pushed him gently back onto the large sofa as his eyes remained locked on mine. Our sexual positions were somewhat limited due to his shoulder injury and I didn't want to hurt him. "You are so fucking hot," he hissed as I straddled his lap.

He ran a finger along my soaking wet slit, eliciting a moan from me, and licked his finger clean. I lifted myself up with support from Eric's good arm and positioned him underneath me, the head of his cock at my entrance.

Our eyes never left each others as I slowly lowered myself on him, feeling myself stretch around him as my body sank. I could feel Eric shaking beneath me, both of us holding our breaths. Eric's hands were on my hips as he encouraged me downwards, his thumb gently teasing my clit.

I gasped for air as my lack of oxygen suddenly caught up with me, a moan escaping my lip.

"Fuck, you're so tight." Eric hissed once I was fully impaled on him. "God, I want this, I want you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed softly as I slowly rocked my hips, Eric moving beneath me in perfect rhythm.

It felt so right, I felt complete.

Eric's thumb was still rubbing small, perfect circles on my clit and I could again feel the pressure growing in my abdomen, but my orgasm came out of nowhere causing me to scream loudly, my head thrown back as my whole body convulsed in pleasure. "Eric, fuck," I screamed, "fuck!"

I drew my eyes back to his and passionately kissed him, my hips moving in an ever faster motion as Eric whispered soft words of love and encouragement into my ear. He was thrusting from beneath me, his hands moving to my back to pull me closer to him, our lips in constant contact as we nipped, licked and kissed each other.

As yet another orgasm hit me, Eric curses increased and he thrust up into me with an almighty roar as he came.

I rested my head on his shoulder, softly kissing his neck as we both tried to calm our breathing down. "Are you okay?" I asked, moving my body back from his and checking over his bandages.

"Right now, I couldn't be better. I love you." He had a heart-felt smile on his face and I was certain my face was returning the sentiment.

"As I love you. But if you've hurt yourself I will kick your ass."

"I'm fine, Sookie. Honest."

I moved on his lap slightly and he moaned loudly as I felt him stiffen again within me. "You're insatiable."

"Only when it comes to you."

.

It was a few hours later that I finally managed to convince Eric to put some clothes on, well some pants anyway, for the rest of his birthday presents. After tidying up the living room and pulling on one of Eric's t-shirts and some panties I went and got him the book I'd bought him.

"I wasn't really sure what to get you, but I … I hope you like it."

I handed him the book which was neatly wrapped in a blue and silver gift wrap and watched him like a hawk as he carefully undid the paper. "Shit, Sookie!" he almost yelled as soon as the paper had been discarded. He immediately went to the inside cover, seeing the signature and carefully thumbing through the pages. I was almost sure that he smelt the book. When his eyes met mine again he had an expression of pure joy. "Sookie, this is perfect. It is one of my favourite books." I felt myself grin at his words, but watched in horror as his face dropped. "This is too much. You shouldn't have bought this."

I took his face in my hands. "I wanted to. I wanted to get you something you would love, you don't have it already?"

"No, I don't, but I also know how much a signed first edition of this book would cost. This is thousands of dollars worth."

"It doesn't matter. You're worth every cent." I kissed him on the nose.

He had an evil grin of his face for some reason and I raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realise that this gives me free reign to buy you anything I want?" He was looking smug.

"I don't think so, mister. That, is your birthday present, and since my birthday isn't until July you have a long time to wait."

"Oh I can assure you that I will not be waiting until your birthday. You, missy, are going to have to get used to me buying you things. And before you start," he placed a finger over my lips, "it makes me happy to do things for you. And you want me to be happy don't you?" Damn his logic.

I scowled at him. "Yes."

"Good. Now come with me, I want to show you my library."

He picked up the book and I helped him up off the sofa, following him as he slowly led me up the stairs and down the passageway to the one room in the house that I had not been to yet.

He led me into the room so that I was stood in the centre. It was every bit as beautiful as Isabel had suggested. There were rows upon rows of antique books lining the dark wood shelves, a rich dark red carpet underfoot and soft leather seats in the centre of the room positioned perfectly for reading. The room had large windows on three sides with views of his immaculate gardens, the window stained in places, creating beautiful patterns across the furniture. I instantly fell in love with the room and Eric even more so.

"Eric, this is beautiful. I love it."

"I'm glad, I was worried you wouldn't like it."

"How could I not?"

He sat down on one of the chairs and winced slightly. It was obvious that he had over-exerted himself during our love-making session, but since he was so stubborn he'd not admitted it earlier. I knelt down on the carpet at his feet.

"I'm not doing a very good job at looking after you so far. I need you to get better and fully fit so you can fuck me against a wall or something, but for now you need to take it easy, okay?"

"Okay. I have to admit to feeling a little tired."

"Well let's go take a nap then. I didn't get a huge amount of sleep last night. I was too excited!"

"You're so cute!" He mockingly grabbed at my cheek.

I stood and held out a hand for him as he carefully placed the book I'd bought him on one of the shelves. "I'll enjoy reading that. I have filters in this room to keep it at the perfect temperature and as dust free as possible."

"That's kind of geeky."

"Maybe. Think you're okay with being in love with a geek?"

"I think I am. Now come along you, time for bed and your medication." I'd put on my best stern voice again and was rewarded with a smack on the ass my Eric as he chased me towards the bedroom.

I crawled into his bed and held open the covers for Eric as he swallowed a few painkillers. "Thank you, Sookie. This has been the best day I could have wished for. You're truly amazing." He pulled me to him and I felt my body relax with the contact of having him close to me.

"So are you," I whispered as we both drifted off to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

_Sorry for the delay, had a busy week!

* * *

_

**Eric**

It was the pain in my shoulder that woke me from lying in the uncomfortable position, but I could think of no better position to be in then wrapped around Sookie as she slept. I didn't want to admit it to Sookie but I'd been in quite serious pain by the end of our love making session, but there was no way I was going to stop. It seemed my dick didn't quite want to listen to the rest of my body.

I carefully pulled away from Sookie so not to wake her to reveal another case of serious tenting in my pants. My dick seemed to crave her company.

I sat on the edge of the bed and took a few more painkillers, rubbing my bandages and feeling generally weary. I had a feeling my doctors were going to kill me for not looking after myself, but I didn't want Sookie to feel bad so I would try and keep quiet. I knew she would have stopped at any point if I'd given any indication of the pain I was in, and she had repeatedly asked me if I was okay while choosing positions that would allow me to take it as easy as possible and let her do the work. Not that I would ever complain about that.

I had to admit that I was not looking forward to my birthday in the days leading up to it. If Pam had been around I was sure that she would have dropped me in it as we'd gotten into the habit of always seeing each other on our birthdays and doing something, usually breakfast at the least. Obviously that was not going to be happening this year. I didn't know how to bring up the subject of my birthday without sounding like a spoiled child desperate for a birthday present. I didn't want or expect anything from her, but I guessed I wanted her to know if nothing else.

But Sookie had outdone herself.

Being woken up via blow-job was just fucking fantastic and as for that nurses outfit, she looked beyond hot. She had thought of everything though and to me, the care and attention she'd put into planning my birthday surprise was so much more than the act itself, not that I was complaining about the perfect book she'd bought me which must have cost over five thousand dollars. It showed me quite how much she loved me, how much she cared. And I had a feeling that it wasn't even all over. I fucking loved her so much.

And then there was the sex itself. It took all my effort to not come immediately as she began to lower on to me, her hot and wet flesh taking me in. I had always been extremely careful about using condoms, never having sex with any girl without them. So quite simply, Sookie was my first. I almost wanted to cry when I was all the way inside her. She felt incredible, tight, wet and hot. I could almost feel her heart beat in rhythm with mine as we connected.

The one thing I knew for sure was that I was not going to let her go. I was not going to lose what we had built up. I was sure that Dr Brigant would probably say we were taking things too fast, but a lot had changed in the week since we had last seen him. Things that made us both put our lives into perspective.

I looked back at my sleeping angel and placed a soft kiss on her arm. I was almost considering waking her in a similar way to how I had been woken, but I was distracted by my phone buzzing to life as it vibrated on my bedside table. I picked it up and saw that it was Pam calling me. Not wanting to wake Sookie I quietly left the room and started downstairs before I answered the phone.

"Pam." It was more of a statement of fact than particularity enquiring how she was.

"Eric, happy birthday." Her voice was somewhat flat.

"Thank you. I hadn't particularly expected to hear from you."

"I wasn't too sure that I'd be calling myself."

I didn't respond to that but rather remained silent until Pam spoke again. If she wanted to apologise I was not going to make it easy for her. And one stipulation was that she was going to apologise to Sookie in person. Pam had some serious grovelling to do if she expected me to forgive her any time soon.

"Eric, I'm in Sweden."

I couldn't exactly hide my surprise. "What? Why? I thought you were with Russell in Mississippi."

"Russell and I are no longer together." I could hear a trace of upset in her voice. This was not the stone cold Pam I knew.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice softer.

"I left him."

"Why? You guys were engaged and he gave you a fucking huge diamond ring. What happened?"

"The 'diamond' was fake. It seems I don't know my gemstones as well as I thought." There was a definite bitterness to her tone and it was evident that something fairly major had happened.

"Pam, tell me, what happened?" My voice was softer and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her even if she had completely fucked with Sookie and I.

"Eric, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I want you to be happy. I know you love her, I really do, but I couldn't help but feel jealous."

"Of me?" I sat down at the kitchen table after pouring myself a cup of coffee.

"I guess I always had a bit of a thing for her, so it was easier to hate her. When you told me about what happened ten years ago I hated you for hurting her like that, but I also I felt kind of glad that she too would be hurting."

"Okay." I didn't quite know what to say.

"I think I was also jealous of her. I though that she was going to be taking you away from me."

"That wouldn't have been the case. You're my sister."

"I know that now. I know that I've fucked things up. I'm so sorry."

I had a feeling she wasn't just talking about what she did in the hospital. "Pam, what are you talking about?" My tone was a little cold.

"It's not totally my fault, okay? I was used."

"By Russell?"

"He played me for a fool. I don't even know why I was attracted to him. Men have never been my thing. But he was attentive and listened to me. When I arrived in Europe I was so angry at you and Sookie that I ended up telling him everything. That was my first mistake. I mentioned who you were. He feigned ignorance but I now know he knew precisely who you were and your wealth."

"He was with you for your money? He told me he'd sign a pre-nup. That he was protecting his wealth as well."

"He didn't have any money. It was all a show. My ring, the house he lived in, the yacht, it was all fake. It seemed he was just house sitting and when the owners came back we were kicked out on our asses."

"Why are you so sorry? What has happened? What did Russell do?"

I heard a slight sob coming from Pam's end of the phone. "When we came back to Shreveport I was so pissed at you for still being with her. I hoped that you'd gotten over her, that you'd move on."

"You seemed happy for me!" I yelled down the phone.

"I wasn't. I lied." There was a lengthy pause as I tried to keep my temper under control. When Pam started talking again her voice was much quieter and less confident. "When I told Russell about you and her, I mentioned Quinn. And it seems that Russell knew Quinn. He told me that he'd recently skipped parole from Las Vegas and was heading back to Louisiana. He asked me if I wanted something done about Sookie."

I swear my heart stopped. Pam had been seriously considering hurting Sookie to get rid of her? My anger was beginning to boil within me and I had a very tight grasp on my phone. As my jaw was clenched shut I didn't respond to my sister but rather waited for her to continue.

"I said no initially. I told him that hurting her would hurt you and I didn't want that. But he could be very convincing. He made me realise how much better things were before Sookie came back. I wanted things to go back to the way they were."

"You fucking told him yes?" I hissed.

I heard Pam take a large breath of air. "I did." She paused briefly before continuing. "Eric I am so sorry." There were tears in her voice but I didn't give a shit.

"What the fuck did you do?"

"Russell called Quinn. We told him about you and Sookie and he got mad. He was pissed at you for having her now. He said that he wished he'd never let you near her, that he had wanted to fuck her. He said you hadn't realised that you were meant to rape her. That Jason hadn't either. When Russell called Quinn was in New Orleans and he went to see Jason."

"Jason is fucking involved in this as well?" My voice was a low growl.

"To some extent, yes. Jason was also pissed that you and Sookie were together. It seems that he'd tried to speak to you when you were in England after he spoken to his sister, but was obviously unable to. I'm not sure what Quinn told him, but he left Jason's house with a key to Sookie's Bon Temps house. I don't know if he stole it or whether Jason gave it to him."

I was going to fucking kill Jason Stackhouse for this. I knew that Quinn had not broken in and that had been the reason that the police had not properly searched Sookie's place. There was no sign of forced entry because Quinn had been able to just let himself in. I was livid.

"I didn't want for you to get hurt. I promise you that." Her voice was whining and she sobbed.

"And what exactly did you want to happen?"

"I don't know. I hadn't thought it through. I told Russell yes in a split second decision and then he was talking to Quinn about killing Sookie the next minute. It happened so fast that I didn't know what to do. I pleaded with Russell not to hurt her, I begged him, told him I'd changed my mind. But he wouldn't call Quinn back."

"You could have told me!" I yelled. I was so angry that tears had sprung to my eyes.

"I was going to. I told Russell that I would do that. He shouted at me and then he hit me. It was never anywhere that anyone would see. He told me it was all my fault, that it was my idea and I would have to live with it."

"You still could have told me. If you'd have come to me I would have protected you from him."

"You think I didn't try?" She asked rhetorically and with bitterness. "He locked me away. I was fucking handcuffed in a cold basement of some seedy club. I would have told you, Eric. I tried to escape but I couldn't. I have four broken ribs thanks to him. The man is a psychopath. He told me about Quinn's confrontation with you when he stole your car. He told me that Quinn was on his way to Sookie's house. That I would get what I wanted. He knew that she would go back eventually." She was sobbing loudly down the phone, her voice ragged.

"Go on." I said through clenched teeth.

"You were never meant to get hurt. I didn't expect you to go back with her. Russell only let me out of the chains that night and he was taking me back to Mississippi. I answered the phone when Sookie called me and I was livid that it was you that had gotten shot by Quinn and not her. That hadn't been the plan. Russell took me to the hospital and made it clear under no uncertain terms that Sookie wasn't to see you and that I had to act as normal. He told me he would kill you if I dared to mention anything. That I would be to blame for your shooting. I'm so sorry."

I didn't know what to say to her. What do you say to your sister who's just admitted that she wanted your girlfriend dead and actually went about it? I wiped away the tears from my cheeks to see Sookie padding into the kitchen. Her smile dropped instantly from her face when she saw mine and she sat down quietly at the table across from me, her eyes full of concern. I had a lot to tell her and I wasn't quite sure how the hell I was going to be able to.

"I can't believe this, you bitch. Why on earth would you do this? Why let Russell do this?"

"I didn't think he was serious! Who in the hell ever follows through a plan to get rid of someone. I thought at best he'd scare Sookie, make her leave you or something."

"And where is Russell now? You are going to tell the police aren't you?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "I already have. I told them before I left for Sweden. You know he's not even called Russell Edgington. It seems he assumed that identity a few years ago. Fuck knows what happened to the real one. Apparently he is really Stan Davis and has been on the most wanted list for years. He wanted you, Eric. I think all along he used me to get to you. He seemed, disappointed when you woke. When we left the hospital he told me that I was going to marry him immediately, that he was taking me to Las Vegas and force me to marry him. I think he would have tried to have you killed again. He knew that I would inherit your fortune and that was what he wanted. He never wanted me."

"And you're stupid enough to believe him!" I spat. I couldn't look at Sookie. I didn't want her to see me like this.

"I'm sorry, Eric, I– "

"Stop saying that your fucking sorry, Pam! I don't fucking believe you!" I got up and paced around the kitchen aware that Sookie's eyes were on me the whole time. "So what happened? How the fuck did you get away from him."

"When we got back to Mississippi he locked me up again. But not after he beat the crap out of me, and not caring where he hit me. I'm a fucking mess and I need plastic surgery to sort out my nose …"

"I don't care about your fucking nose."

"I managed to get away from him at Jackson airport. I'm not even quite sure how I managed it, but I figured things couldn't get any worse and he could hardly kill me if he was after your money. He was detained by customs officials and I took the opportunity to run. I found some police officers and I begged for their protection. I told them that I was being abducted and being forced to marry in Las Vegas. Russell came running after me but didn't notice I was with the police. He grabbed me, but one of the officers knew who he was. He was arrested on the spot. I told the police everything and was allowed to leave to return to Sweden. They offered me immunity for telling them everything I knew about Russell and I was able to give them other information on him."

I sank down back into the chair and allowed my emotions to overcome me. I was aware on some level that this was not Pam's fault, but that didn't stop me from blaming her. At the very least it was good news that Russell or whoever the fuck he was was in jail, and hopefully never going to get out. I was also fairly confident that Quinn would go down for a very long time.

Sookie moved to stand behind me and wrapped her arms around me, kissing and nuzzling my hair. I placed my left hand over hers as I allowed my tears to fall.

I still had the phone to my ear but neither Pam or I were saying anything. Eventually Pam obviously found the courage to speak. "I'm going to stay in Stockholm. I've already arranged to sell what I have in Louisiana. I can't come back. And I know you don't want to see me. I wouldn't want to see me. I truly am sorry, Eric. I never meant for this to happen like this. I want you to be happy and if Sookie makes you happy then I'm pleased for you. I hope that one day you will forgive me. Take care, Eric."

The phone went dead and I placed it carefully on the table staring at it.

"What can I do?" Sookie asked, obviously concerned.

I stood up to look at her. She was still dressed in my t-shirt, her bed-hair tied in a messy knot. I pulled her to me and rested my cheek on her head. "I think we need somewhere more comfortable. I have a lot to tell you."

"That was Pam I take it. Is she coming over?"

"No, she's in Stockholm. I don't think I'll be seeing Pam for quite some time, if ever."

"What did she do?"

Once we were settled in the living room I took Sookie into my arms and explained what Pam had told me. She was understandably shocked and upset by what I was telling her and I couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to be told that your boyfriend's sister had wanted her killed. I was only grateful that I had been with her. I didn't want to think what would have happened if Pam and Russell's plans had been successful.

She was quiet after I finished telling what Pam had told me. We were both sat with wet cheeks from the tears both of us had shed. I could see that her mind was working in overdrive and I began to panic that she might not want to be with me. And I wouldn't blame her. I was bad news right from the start and likely to cause her all manner of problems, not to mention the abuse she was likely to get at work.

"Eric, are you okay?"

Her eyes were concern filled as she looked up at me. I hadn't noticed that I was hyperventilating until Sookie spoke to me. "I'm … fine …" I said as I gasped for air. I felt like my chest was being crushed.

"It's okay, Eric. Just breathe. Focus on your breathing." She was rubbing even circles onto my back and focusing on her I began to pull myself back together. I looked down at her emotion filled face and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I won't blame you if you want to leave. I'll respect your choice, I won't–" I was stopped by a jab in the ribs.

"Eric, I'm not going anywhere. It's a lot to take in, but I'm not going to let them win by splitting us up. I've only just got you. You think I'd run over that?"

"You were nearly killed because of me."

"No, you were nearly killed because of me."

"Sook, it was my sister and her psychotic fiancé that caused this. If I had left you alone …"

"I'd be miserable?" she interrupted. "Eric, I'm serious. What they did affects us both, but we're both alive and in time you'll get back use of your shoulder and arm. It could have been so much worse, but it wasn't. I don't want to lose you over this. I love you, Eric. You're not getting rid of me that easy."

She smiled and kissed me on the lips, softly at first and then deeper as our need for each other overcame us. "I'd never want to get rid of you," I told her.

"You say that now, but in fifty years time you may think differently."

I couldn't resist smiling at Sookie's suggestion that we'd be together for fifty years. "Yeah? You'd make a damn sexy Granny."

"So would you, Gramps!" She kissed me again and I pulled her on my lap.

"I truly am sorry for all the shit that I have caused you. I hope that you can forgive me someday."

"Enough already! I have forgiven you. I wouldn't be able to love you if I hadn't forgiven you. Maybe in time I may even forget it. But I do forgive you, I promise you that."

"I love you, Ms Stackhouse."

"As I love you, Mr Northman." I held onto her hips as she ground into my rapidly growing erection as we kissed. "You hungry?"

"For you? Damn straight."

"I meant food."

"I could eat you."

"You're insatiable. I thought I'd cook us something quick now as I have plans for something a bit special later."

"Sounds great."

I joined Sookie in the kitchen as she heated some vegetable soup that she'd somehow found the time to make without my knowledge and we then crashed in the living room watching an old rom-com we found on one of the movie channels.

Apart from the distraction of Pam's phone call and learning what had really happened regarding my shooting, I'd had a truly fantastic birthday. The meal Sookie cooked me in the evening was a perfect mild curry which she served with Indian breads, rice and side dishes. She made a strawberry pavlova for dessert which was simply divine.

She slept in my bed that night after we had made love once more I relished the closeness of having her curl up into my side as she slept. She was perfect in every way and I felt like I'd won the lottery in having her with me.

.

The next morning Sookie made me breakfast and we both sat in my office as we worked for the morning before she drove me back to the hospital for my physio appointment later in the afternoon. However we were interrupted by a phone call from Detective Flood and I put my phone on speaker so that both Sookie and I could contribute to the conversation.

The detective explained that Russell, or Stan Davis as he was really called, had been sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted homicide, kidnapping, fraud and a whole list of other offences that he had previously committed before he met Pam. It seemed that my sister wasn't the first rich woman he'd duped either and had been married on six occasions only for his wife to wind up dead not long afterwards. I was grateful that Pam got out when she did.

I also couldn't resist a smile at Sookie when we were told that John Quinn would have to use a catheter for the rest of his life as his surgeons were unable to save his damaged penis. I may have high-fived Sookie when we heard that, even though it did seem to make my own dick retreat into my body for comfort. Sookie mockingly pointed her fingers at my crotch and pretended to mimic a gun before softly blowing her fingers.

The physio appointment was painful but the therapist told me that there was already some improvement from the exercises Sookie and I were doing, and that in time I should be able to make a very good recovery, if not a total recovery. I gave Sookie a huge hug and thanked her for her help before we left the hospital in good time to meet with Niall for our therapy session.

Neither of us really wanted to continue with the therapy since we were of the opinion that we'd worked through a lot ourselves, but it seemed that Niall had a very different idea to us and considering what had happened since we last saw him, we had to agree.

Niall seemed a little shocked at the events of the previous week and had obviously not been tipped off by Isabel about what had happened. Sookie and I told Niall in no uncertain terms that we'd both realised how much we loved each other and that we wanted to make a go of it. We admitted that there were still issues and my bout of insecurity over Sookie the previous day was enough proof from Niall's point of view. He gave us some homework to do until our next session and was insistent that we had at least six sessions with him. He was at least willing to let us drop the individual therapy.

Sookie drove us home after our session and cooked a simple meal of chicken, corn, bread and salad. I loved the ease and domesticity as I sat in the kitchen watching her as she cooked. I made a mental note to seriously look after her once I was able to as I didn't want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her.

"I love you, Sooks." I said simply as she crawled into bed with me that night. "And I thank you for giving me this chance. I'd never known love before and I'm truly addicted now. To love, to you. I want you to promise to tell me if I ever do anything wrong. I'm not used to this, it's a learning curve for me. And I promise I will not treat you as Bill did. I will never cheat on you, and quite simply I couldn't imagine a better woman than you. I love you with all that I am."

I watched as a tear slid down her cheek which I wiped away with my thumb as I cupped her face in my hand. She moved my hand to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to it.

"I know that you're not Bill. If I'm honest the only reason I was with Bill was because I couldn't have you. I felt better that someone loved me. I guess I used him to that effect. I wasn't even that upset when I found he was cheating. I was pissed and angry at him, but it was the get out clause I'd been looking for. He tried to control me and wanted me as his trophy wife. He even hated that I worked.

"I know we've been through some serious shit, but I think it's made us stronger. I loved you when I was eighteen and I love you now. Only now you're mine. And the same goes for me, I want you to tell me if I do anything wrong. I'm always going to have some issues with insecurity and you know I have my moods and neurotic tendencies, but I want this to work between us. I need this to work. I want to grow old with you, I want marriage and children. I want it all, Eric. I want you."

I was surprisingly unfreaked out when Sookie mentioned marriage and children, and simply pulled her closer to me. "I want that too."

* * *

_So that's the penultimate chapter. One more in Sookie's POV and then finish. I hope that you've enjoyed reading this as I've loved writing it._

_Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favourites._

_Last chapter should be up tomorrow if all goes to plan.  
_


	31. Chapter 31

_Okay, so this is the last chapter! It will be sad to leave this one._

_I want to thank my wonderful husband for his support with my writing. It's our first wedding anniversary next weekend and I'm a very lucky girl, particularly as he puts up with my Eric obsession! Love you hun!_

* * *

**Sookie**

I had to admit to loving every second of the week I spent home with Eric. I enjoyed looking after him and that he needed me to look after him. Sure, it was obvious at times that he felt ashamed that he needed so much help, but I reminded him that he had been shot and was lucky to be alive. We both were.

We were aware that it was going to take some time to get over what happened with Pam, Quinn, Russell and Jason. It felt like the people we knew and loved had betrayed us, and that hurt. I knew in particular that Eric found Pam's betrayal hugely insulting as they had been so close. I guess I was used to Jason's being that his had started ten years previous.

After some discussion with Eric we agreed not to tell the police about Jason's involvement, but I personally wasn't going to let him get away with it so easy. I therefore called him up and gave him absolute hell for the way he had treated me. I told him under no uncertain terms that he was not my family and I never wanted to see him again. He tried to win my favour by telling me his twins would want to know their Aunt Sookie since I was their only family, but I wasn't going to fall for it.

Eric's recovery was going well and he was able to slowly reduce the pain killers, which was a good thing since they made him sleepy and somewhat dopey. We spent our mornings sat in Eric's office both working hard but sneaking the occasional glance at each other, and we'd eat some lunch before working in the afternoon before either attending Eric's physio or some other form of physio for him.

And then there was the sex. We seemed to have an insatiable need for each other and either one of us was up for sex at a drop of a hat. We managed to get quite inventive with some of the positions we tried, all the while making sure that we did nothing that would hurt Eric's shoulder or require the use of both of his arms. By the end of the week we'd had sex in every room of the house – even the gym and garage – but the tender love we made in Eric's library was by far the best for both of us. That place would quickly become our go-to place for sweet and tender love making.

Neither one of us was truly looking forward to going back to the office. We'd both been in contact with various colleagues in our week off and we didn't doubt that there was all manner of gossip going around the building. Since Eric was still easily fatigued he'd promised he'd stick to a strict nine 'til five routine until he was stronger.

"Any chance I can call in sick?" I asked as I nuzzled my face into Eric's shoulder while in bed that Monday morning.

"Only if I can too!" He kissed me on the top of my head. "Come on, get your ass our of bed we may as well get this over and done with."

I growled at him as he slapped me on the backside and got out of bed to wash himself while I grabbed a shower. Unfortunately for Eric his bandages meant he was unable to shower and I made quite a show of how much I wanted him to join me in the shower. When I slipped a wet finger inside of me it was Eric's turn to growl at me as he stalked out of the bathroom, a large tent pole inside his boxers.

Eric was insistent that I drove his Ferrari to the office, stating that he quite simply wouldn't be seen dead turning up to the office in an SUV. Even if it was a BMW. The man was one hell of a snob. I held Eric's laptop bag as he climbed out of the low sports car. I brushed down the lapels of the silver suit he was wearing as he leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips.

"Here goes nothing," he stated as he took my hand in his and we walked into the office.

It was again just my luck that the foyer to the office was unusually crowded and all eyes were on Eric and I as we entered the building. He was immediately bombarded with well wishers and enquiries into his injury, how he felt and whether he'd be able to make a full recovery. I would have thought I was invisible were it not for the seriously dirty looks I was getting from the females in the crowd. Becky, again, being the only one to smile at me.

I squeezed Eric's hand, gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and went over to say hello to her.

"Pleased to be back?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

"Not really. I'd become quite used to working from home."

"I'd imagine. Though I'm surprised you found the time! Look, I should probably warn you that there's somewhat of a vendetta out for you. There are a lot of very jealous women in this place. Just watch your back because the knives are out."

I swallowed. This was worse than even I had expected. "Thanks for that."

I looked back to Eric to see that he was still surrounded, his blonde head sticking out of the top of the group that had amassed around him. I caught his eye and indicated that I was going upstairs to my office. Becky had been right considering the evil looks I got from most of the females I passed, even the ones old enough to be his mother. I guess I had been so pent up at hating him before that I hadn't really realised or noticed how he was revered within the office.

I was half inclined to check my office for traps when I entered and sank down into my chair. I turned on the PC and checked my emails as was my traditional routine. What I didn't expect was a slew of hate emails from various women throughout the office. Some even with the threat of violence and one stating that she wished John Quinn had shot me instead of Eric.

I couldn't help but burst into tears when I read the emails considering what Eric and I had been through, and I was sobbing quietly at my desk when Damon walked in.

"Sookie, are you okay?"

I could hardly say that I was. "I appear to have a few hateful emails," I stated as I dried my eyes.

"You were surely expecting that to some extent?" His voice was soft and caring and he placed a hand on my back in a very fatherly gesture.

"Maybe, but I do think death threats are pushing it."

"Are you serious? Show me." I showed him the emails I'd been sent and watched as his face hardened. "Sook, you have to tell Eric about this."

"I'm not going to go running to him every time someone does something bad to me. It's what they want me to do!"

"Hardly, they'd be fired for sending those emails, and you should quite simply tell the police."

"No way. At the most I'll ask HR to look into it, speak to their managers."

He looked at me disapprovingly. "I'm not sure how much good that will do. But if you don't want me to tell Eric I won't. But promise me that if this continues you will tell him?"

"Okay." I didn't mean that and I was determined to beat this myself.

But over the next week, things only got worse. It got to the point that I was being physically confronted by a collection of five women who were responsible for the emails, and I seriously wanted to quit. I tried to keep a brave face on it around Eric, but he'd asked me on many an occasion what was up and I hated keeping the truth from him.

It was one evening during dinner that Eric asked me more directly. "Sookie, have I done something? Are you happy? You seem so unhappy at the moment and it's killing me. Sook, I love you, please talk to me. Tell me if I need to change something as you know I will. I can't lose you."

His eyes were emotion filled and even looked a little on the watery side. I placed my knife and fork down and stared at the table, unable to continue meeting his eyes.

"Eric, it's not you, it's –"

"Oh no, please don't do the 'it's not it's me' line. Sookie, please don't leave me." A tear slid down his face which I wiped away with my thumb.

I couldn't resist a slight smile at the absurdity of the situation, but it did show Eric's obvious insecurity about our relationship – something we were working on in therapy. I moved my chair closer to him and took his hand, my eyes on his as he searched for answers.

"I was going to say, it's not you but those complete bitches at work who are making my life hell."

He looked momentarily relieved before concerns swept across his handsome face again. "Sook, what's been going on? You haven't really mentioned anything about the reaction to us." I had successfully avoided the question whenever Eric had asked me.

I sighed loudly. "I didn't want to burden this on you. I wanted to be able to fight my own battles."

"Sookie, please tell me."

"It's been hell at work since we got back. The first morning I had a whole bunch of emails from various women in the office, some with threats of violence." My voice trembled slightly as I admitted that and Eric pulled me into this arms.

"Why didn't you tell me, love?"

"I didn't want to go running to you after only being in the office for two minutes. I wanted to be able to sort this myself. I begged Damon not to tell anyone as he saw me upset and I sent the emails to HR and asked them to sort it out. It seemed like the right thing to do, to let them and the managers sort it out. It's hardly your role to be concerned about the squabbles of the underlings."

"It is when it's you and I'm the problem." He kissed me on the nose. "I take it things haven't improved."

"Not at all. I only got bitchier emails and then they started confronting me in person. I tried to keep to myself and stay in my office, but whenever I left my desk one of them seemed to be waiting for me. I can't stick it any more. I just want a normal life with you. I love you, Eric. I just don't need any more anxiety or stress."

"And there won't be once I personally deal with these women. Sookie, I will not have you abused for being with me. I am yours, no other woman is going to stand in the way of that and these women need to understand that. If I make an example of them it will put a stop to it. You've kept all the emails?" I nodded. "Good, send them to me and I'll have words tomorrow. I fully intent to put a stop to this. You're too important to me to lose. And anyway, you do a damn good job and I don't want you to leave that role either."

"Thank you. You'd better start putting out an advert for a new COO though."

"Fucking Selah is one of them? I am going to hang that bitch out to dry." I could tell he was angry and I tried my best to sooth him and used my womanly wiles to distract him.

The next morning Eric called all five women into his office along with their managers and the HR manager who had refused to take my accusations seriously and fired the lot of them. I couldn't help but feel insanely guilty, but it certainly put an end to the name calling, with most women being overly nice to me.

All I wanted was normality and a few weeks later things did fall back to how they were before, although we were somewhat helped by the scandal of Eric's Chief Finance Officer being spotted at a gay nightclub in Shreveport. Needless to say his wife and grown up children were less than impressed.

With Eric's mobility improving all the time we soon fell into a happy routine, although still shared a car to work as Eric was determined to prove that he could work normal working hours – even if he did spend hours on his laptop in the evenings. I wasn't concerned, however, as I knew how much he loved his work and spending time with him was the most important thing to me.

For Christmas, and due to the lack of family on both sides, we rented a log cabin for two weeks over the holiday period in Alberta, Canada. It was a beautiful huge cabin with roaring open fires, sauna, hot tub and even came with its own chef for the days that Eric and I had no energy for cooking – or were worn out from other activities.

It was heavenly to spend quality time together without the distraction of work or other shit going on. I came to realise that quite simply, Eric was my perfect man. We complimented each other so well and understood each other as only perfect mates could. I seemed to be falling more in love with him each day and the thought of being without him scared the crap out of me.

But Eric had proved himself to me on more than one occasion. We were trying to work through our insecurities and our six sessions of counselling with Dr Brigant soon became twelve. There was many an occasion that we'd be out together and some random hussy would come up and flirt with him even though I was stood right next to him. I had been seconds away from slapping said hussy on more than one occasion before Eric gracefully told her that he wasn't interested as she wasn't a patch on the beautiful woman he was stood next to. I blushed furiously each time he said that and he scolded me for not believing it myself.

After our vacation at Christmas going back to work was all the worse. We were both stupidly busy and slipped into a pattern whereby we were both happy to work from eight in the morning until seven in the evening, with us more often that not grabbing a take away on the way home rather than spending the time cooking.

It was putting a strain on our relationship, so I took the bull by the horns and booked for us to go away to stay in New Orleans over the valentines weekend. What I didn't realise was what Eric also had planned.

We'd spent the first two days of our break in bed, enjoying our time together in many ways, but on the last night Eric had booked us into a fancy French restaurant and I agreed that we probably should spend some time outside the hotel.

The restaurant was an incredible, yet small seafood place tucked away in a backstreet of New Orleans. I had no idea how the hell he found it. We had a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant and sat and talked quietly while we enjoyed a superb meal.

In the gap between our main and the dessert Eric took my hand in his. "Sookie, I need to tell you how much my life has changed in the few months that you have been by my side. I never knew I had the capacity to love, and for that I will be eternally grateful to you. We have been through so much together and I will always regret the way I treated you all those years ago. Not only because I hurt you, but also because I should have been with you. My heart belonged to you even back then, as yours did to me, but I was too scared and stubborn to realise it. I will always be sorry for the time I wasted."

"I forgive you, Eric." And I did, wholeheartedly.

"Thank you, although I may not quite be able to forgive myself just yet. What I want to tell you is that I cannot see a future without you in it. I'm sorry that things have been busy, but I've been spending the time training my executive team to take on some of my duties." I gasped slightly at his confession and felt my heart begin to constrict with my chest. Was he really doing this to spend more time with me? "I've always been so precious about doing certain things myself, not trusting others to do them. But I'm changing that. I want to be there for you, I want to spend time with you."

"I don't know what to say. Thank you, Eric." I was feeling rather teary and gulping back air to keep a hold of my emotions. I knew how much Eric had put into his business and how much he loved his work, so hearing him tell me that he was prepared to pass it on to others was truly astounding.

"That's not all, Sook." He was nervously biting his lip, a gesture very uncommon to him, and reached inside his jacket. When he moved around the table to get down on one knee I felt my heart beat at a thousand beats a minute.

He opened the small dark red velvet box and revealed an incredibly beautiful central diamond solitaire ring with tiny diamonds lining either side of the platinum ring. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Aside from Eric, that was. My eyes met his and I saw his nervousness and anxiety. I wanted to yell at him that he didn't need to be nervous, but I simply waited with baited breath for him to speak again.

"I love you more than words can express. And I cannot think of a future for me without you in it. Sookie Stackhouse, will you marry me?"

His nervousness was still evident on his face, and much as a small part of me wanted to tease it out a little, every cell in my body was screaming 'yes'.

"Yes, Eric. I will marry you."

He slid the ring onto my finger with trembling hands, and once firmly in place he pulled me to him and our lips met in a passionate embrace. I was vaguely aware of a few people around us clapping and cheering as I gave him my answer, but I was focused solely on the beautiful creature in front of me.

When we finally managed to separate our lips, he climbed off the floor and sat back down in his seat, his hands never leaving mine as he gently played with my ring.

"It fits," I commented nonchalantly. "How?"

He smiled a devilish smirk. "I may have been testing rings on you while you sleep."

"Oh really? That's very sneaky of you.

"What can I say? So I'm sneaky. I wanted this to be a surprise."

"It was, a truly fantastic surprise. But since I was the one that organised this trip, did you have other plans?"

"Believe it or not, I had booked for us to come to New Orleans as well, and the restaurant booking was made before Christmas. It seems great minds think alike."

Eric and I hastily finished our desserts and were out of the restaurant and back to our hotel as quickly as possible. As soon as we were alone in the elevator Eric had pushed me against the glass, his hands snaking up my legs as they wrapped around his firm waste. I lost count of the times we made love that night, and I truly felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

.

It was early May that Amelia was rushed into hospital, her waters breaking two weeks before her due date. Eric and I had been with her and Tray when it happened and we both waited nervously in the waiting room while Amelia went through six hours of labour before her daughter Megan Rose Dawson was born.

She was truly a vision and I was so proud of Amelia. Eric and I went to pick up some essential supplies for mother, father and daughter and when we came back Amelia allowed both Eric and I to hold her.

"Meals, I can't believe you did this. She's perfect." I said as I rocked her gently in my arms.

"I know. How could this brute and I produce something so tiny and perfect." Tray wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her. The love in the room was immense.

When I'd had my fill of holding her and Eric was starting to sulk at me I begrudgingly got up and allowed Eric to sit in the chair before passing her into Eric's chest.

Seeing Eric doting on her made my ovaries scream at me and my heart back flip within my ribcage. "I want one, Sook. What do you say we get making one."

"As if you two need any excuse!" Amelia interjected, though my eyes were thoroughly locked on Eric's. I was astounded he was having the same thoughts as I was.

"I could live with that." I leant down over Megan and kissed Eric passionately on the lips.

Amelia clapped and squealed for the pair of us. We were due to marry at the start of September as Amelia had made me promise we'd wait until she'd lost her baby weight. It was to be a small ceremony with close friends only, and I quite simply couldn't wait to become Mrs Northman. Even Amelia had finally given in to taking Tray's name following the birth of her daughter since she wanted to have the same name.

Eric and I seemed to communicate telepathically and we could both sense each other's urgency to get out of the hospital and get baby making.

We didn't make it out of the hospital before round one was completed.

Later on that night as I laid in Eric's arms I couldn't imagine a place I would rather be. A lot had happened over the previous year, and Eric and I had certainly been through some shit. But we were honestly stronger because of it, and our love and passion for each other was immense.

"I love you, Sookie."

"I love you more, Eric."

It wasn't long before round four of the night was initiated.

* * *

_Okay, so that's it. I hope you've enjoyed the ride and I have to admit that at present I don't plan a sequel._

_I am, however, starting a new story very shortly which will be called 'Stockholm Syndrome'. It will be on the darker side with Eric kidnapping Sookie. Stick me on Author Alert if you're interested!_

_Thanks again for reading._

_Vx_


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